In 2018 Hudson Valley schools saw an unsettling trend. According to Hudson Valley Post, 13 school districts had to deal with threats of violence.

Following the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school in Florida, Minisink Valley, Ichabod Crane Central, Saugerties High School,Dover Union Free School District, Port Jervis High School,Vails Gate STEAM Academy and Meadow Hill, Van Wyck Junior High, Cairo-Durham High School, Pine Plains, BOCES Tech Center in Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie High School all investigated school related threats and shootings.

In some cases the schools were closed for days following the threats and teenagers were being charged with making terroristic threats.

Unfortunately now we must be prepared if a situation like this does occur.

On May 10th the Orange County Sheriffs Office and Orange County Sheriff DuBois will be offering a free Civilian Response to a Hostile Event Presentation.

The presentation will have Assistant Undersheriff Anthony Weed and Lieutenant Duane Lopez of the OCSO Special Operations Group hosting the presentation. There will be a Q & A to follow.

The Facebook event page states that "Sheriff DuBois and the OCSO believe in the importance of keeping the citizens of Orange County informed, educated and empowered during the occurrence of any hostile event, at school, at work or in public."

Seating is first come first serve at the Orange County Emergency Services Center in Goshen from 6pm until 9pm.