Recently, the Office of the State Comptroller conducted an audit of 20 school districts across the state on badge accessibility. Union-Endicott was one of those districts. Please read Dr. Nicole Wolfe's letter to U-E parents in response to the audit.
Union-Endicott Community,
You may have recently seen news coverage regarding the New York State Comptroller’s audit of building access practices at the Union-Endicott Central School District. I want to provide some additional context and assure our school community that the District takes the findings seriously and has already taken steps to strengthen our practices.
Union-Endicott was randomly selected as one of 20 school districts across New York State to participate in the Comptroller’s audit of building access accounts. The audit reviewed the District’s practices, including how employee and non-employee badges were managed. The final audit reports for the participating districts are publicly available on the Comptroller’s website, with common findings across districts. We anticipate a broader report including all audited districts may be released in the future.
What the Audit Found/What We Have Done:
As a school district, we welcome feedback that helps us improve our practices. Our annual internal and external audits are an important part of ensuring we are following appropriate procedures, maintaining strong internal controls, and continuously looking for ways to improve.
The Comptroller’s audit identified areas related to the management of building access accounts that could be strengthened. Importantly, corrective action began immediately during the audit process.
Key Points Include:
Duplicate and unnecessary badges were deactivated immediately. Because our badge system allows access to be turned off remotely, the badges identified during the audit were deactivated without delay.
A regular review process has been added. Union-Endicott has had a building access policy in place for over a decade. As a result of the audit, specific procedures have been incorporated requiring the District to regularly review active badges and promptly discontinue access when it is no longer needed.
Badge expiration times will be established. Individual badges will be programmed to work during school hours, or other designation hours, necessary for a person’s responsibilities.
A strong existing practice is being expanded Districtwide. The Comptroller’s team identified our high school process for substitute access as a strong practice, which will be replicated throughout the District to provide greater consistency and accountability.
Our Broader Approach to School Safety:
It is important to view these findings within the larger context of Union-Endicott’s layered approach to school safety and security. Our safety measures include:
School Resource Officers (SROs) in all school buildings
Staff and secondary student identification badges
Secure vestibule entry systems
Security cameras and weapons detection software
Weapons detection systems in progress at all school building entrances
Ongoing review of safety practices through our Board Advisory Team on Facilities and Safety
The Board Advisory Team on Facilities and Safety meets regularly to review our current safety practices, identify areas for improvement, and bring forward new strategies and technologies. This team has played an important role in helping us consider and implement safety measures across the district. We also value the involvement and perspective of our community in this work. Endicott community members who are interested in serving on this team will have an opportunity to express their interest through an invitation in our fall newsletter. We encourage those who are interested in contributing their ideas and perspectives to consider joining us.
Moving Forward:
We appreciate the time and expertise of the Comptroller’s audit team. Their feedback has helped us identify opportunities to strengthen our procedures. We will continue to use this feedback, along with our ongoing internal and external audits and the work of our Board Advisory Team, to evaluate our practices and make improvements wherever appropriate. Our commitment remains the same: to provide a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for every student and staff member in the Union-Endicott Central School District.
Sincerely,
Nicole Wolfe, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools