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Update | January 15, 2025 at 6:55pm

January 15, 2025

Dear Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus students, families, faculty, and staff,

I am writing to provide a second follow-up communication regarding shots being fired at the time of high school dismissal on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The City of Newburgh’s Police Department has officially confirmed that the shooter has been identified and charged with multiple felony charges and that the weapon has been recovered. Their full statement can be found by clicking this link. Our initial priority is to address the physical safety of our students. Our secondary priority is communicating as quickly as possible although all details may not be available at that time. We aim to continue our communication efforts with updates when possible. 

Collaboration With Partners in Law Enforcement

The district has strong relationships with local law enforcement and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The district typically defers to details from official communication from law enforcement agencies once they have become involved. This approach is taken, so as to not jeopardize the integrity of their investigation. The district is in collaboration with our partners to provide additional security measures for students and staff. These measures may not be seen or noticed by our community, but I can assure you that we have additional support in place. 

Student Support

We recognize that this was a traumatizing experience for your children who were in immediate proximity to the shooting, heard the shots, viewed videos of the incident, and/or heard accounts of the incident. Our Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team has been activated and is available to support our school as needed. Students who feel the need to process their emotions should visit one of the Social Emotional Learning educators in our building. Families can also reach out to these trained professionals for guidance in supporting their child as well. 

Continued Concerns

We recognize that our students and families are hearing different information circulating throughout the community. We are working to identify those involved in the altercation that occurred at dismissal yesterday. Once identified, those individuals will be held responsible for their behavior. 

We also recognize that our students likely know the identities of those involved and may have important information that can assist our administrators and/or the City of Newburgh with their investigation. We each play an important role in keeping our community safe. Sharing credible information and concerns with law enforcement is a more productive way to help our community than simply sharing on social media. Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the City of Newburgh Police Department. 

There are rumors circulating that I would like to address. This morning, the fire alarm at NFA Main Campus was triggered by a system malfunction. This issue was addressed by our staff this morning. I recognize the terrible timing of this malfunction, but feel it is important to reiterate that it was an issue with the system and not the action of any individual. 

There are also rumors circulating about several fights that occurred throughout the week, including today. In an effort to be fully transparent, I will share that there were two altercations on Monday, one altercation inside the school building on Tuesday, and one altercation today. These alterations were not between large groups of students and at this time we do not believe they were related to Tuesday’s shooting. 

Communication

Our top priority is the physical safety of our students, faculty, and staff. Our second priority is to communicate as quickly as possible, even if all details are not yet available.

We understand that the school community may want more details and may hear information before it is officially shared. The district works closely with local law enforcement and will defer to their official statements to protect the integrity of the investigation.

While we may not always release information as quickly as some families may want, our decisions are based on this collaboration. Our initial communication shared what we knew at the time, and we followed up later that evening with more details, including the official release from the City of Newburgh Police Department.

Collaboration

The violence that was experienced yesterday is not isolated to our community. We recognize the need for collaboration among our families and community members to get to the root of the issues that our students and community members are facing to prevent this type of behavior from occurring before it begins. 

Thank you

We are extremely thankful for our dedicated security and administrative staff as well as our Sheriff’s School Safety Deputy who were immediately present at the scene to assist in de-escalating the incident. These staff members ran toward the issue to help, going above and beyond in their care for our scholars. Our school community is extremely fortunate to have such dedicated professionals on our team. We are also thankful for the students, teachers, staff, and administrators who responded to the lockout protocol and acted quickly and efficiently as we have practiced throughout the year.

The City of Newburgh Police Department, along with the Town of Newburgh, Town of New Windsor, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, New York State Police, and Orange County Sheriff’s Department, responded quickly and continue to provide assistance to support our district. We value our collaborative relationship and will continue to work with the City of Newburgh Police Department to assist in their investigation. 

We recognize that the actions of a few do not represent our students, schools, or community. Our community will find strength by coming together to support every Goldback, every day. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell

Superintendent of Schools

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Update | January 14, 2025 at 7:45pm

January 14, 2025

Dear Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus students, families, faculty, and staff,

I am writing to provide follow-up information to a communication that was shared earlier today. As we shared previously, a lockout protocol was initiated at Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus, on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at dismissal for approximately 10 minutes due to reports of shots being fired near the school. At this time, there are no reports of injuries. 

The City of Newburgh has released a statement regarding the incident and has confirmed that the shooter has been identified and charged with multiple felony charges and that the weapon has been recovered. Their full statement can be found by clicking this link. 

A lockout is initiated due to activity outside of the school building and limits access to the campus. It is used to secure buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an imminent concern outside the school. This procedure allows the school to continue the normal school operations inside the building. In today’s case, the lockout was initiated to support local law enforcement in containing the crime scene.

Although this is a very troubling incident, at this time, we do not feel as though there is a threat to our school community, however, we have requested an additional presence of law enforcement tomorrow to help our students feel more comfortable.

We know that our students may need additional support after experiencing just a frightening event. Our Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team has been activated and is available to support our school as needed. The CISM team is a group of dedicated NECSD and Orange County professionals when needed (school psychologists, counselors, and social workers) who are specifically trained in this nationally recognized process that helps mitigate the impact of a stressful event, supports the recovery process, and assesses the need for additional support. Students who feel the need to process their emotions should visit the Guidance and Career Center at NFA Main Campus. 

Your child may have questions or wish to express their emotions about witnessing or hearing rumors about the situation. Try to be sensitive to their desire to communicate, while listening to and accepting their feelings. Please contact one of the Social Emotional Learning educators in our building if you need assistance with conversations about their feelings and/or emotions.

We are extremely thankful for our dedicated security and administrative staff as well as our Sheriff’s School Safety Deputy who were immediately present at the scene to assist in de-escalating the incident. We are also thankful for the students, faculty, staff, and administrators who responded to the lockout protocol and acted quickly and efficiently as we have practiced throughout the year.

The district is thankful for the quick response of local law enforcement and will continue to collaborate with them to assist in their investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the City of Newburgh Detective Division at 845-569-7509. All callers can remain anonymous.

Please know that the safety of our scholars remains our highest priority. We strive to support every Goldback, every day. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell
Superintendent of Schools

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Initial Communication | January 14, 2025 at 3:12pm

Hello NECSD students, families, faculty, and staff,