The City of Port Jervis is the latest community to tackle the topic of improving school safety. Our Christian Farrell has more on what's being done in schools to keep kids safe.

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PORT JERVIS, N.Y. - School safety, or better yet how best to provide it to students and staff is the topic at a Port Jervis School Board meeting.

According to Port Jervis School's Assistant Superintendent Thomas Bongiovi the dialogue regarding improving school security has been constant following the Newtown Connecticut school tragedy.

"We were certainly ahead of the game compared to many other districts. We have vestibules, we have security alarms, we have the police presence," said Bongiovi.

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre roughly six weeks ago, school officials say there has been a beefed up police presence at all of the district's school buildings - and that includes police officers from both Port Jervis and the neighboring Town of Deerpark.

Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden briefs school board and community members on the status of the districts most recent safety plans.

"The town and the city have implemented increased protocols to ensure that we have an effective response to the schools," said Worden.

"We have two responsibilities - to educate students, and to do that in a safe environment. Not only does it have to be safe, but the students have to feel safe. And that's what we want to do with all these security measures," said Bongiovi.

Also discussed-whether armed guards are safe or necessary in schools. School leaders now say that's not an action they're ready to take. For now, uniform and undercover officers conduct random patrols of all four district buildings.