Bolandi lauds continued security response

By: Dick Brinster
   HIGHTSTOWN — The continued police presence in East Windsor Regional Schools and the calm displayed by teachers, students and parents has allowed for as much normalcy as possible following a recent threat of violence, according to Superintendent Ron Bolandi .
   Mr. Bolandi laid out at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting the actions taken since receipt Nov. 1 of a letter threatening violence akin to what happened last month, when five children were slain by a gunman who then killed himself in a one-room Amish school near Lancaster, Pa.
   Mr. Bolandi said one police officer remains on guard at each of the district’s six schools, and added that an all-around effort in the community has been the key to easing tension over the threat.
   "The administration, the support staff, the teachers, everybody went to the plate and we really came through it well," said Mr. Bolandi, who directed operations despite a painful back ailment. "They did anything I asked them to do."
   Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, said Tuesday that the investigation was continuing. Her office will not comment on specifics of the probe in East Windsor, one of six school districts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania receiving letters signed by a man who called himself Dick Lewis.
   "We are going to walk through one of your elementary schools," said the letters, one of which was sent to the Herald. "It’s going to be Amish School House Week."
   Despite the chilling threat, Mr. Bolandi said operations have been as close to normal as possible.
   "We’ve been taking it seriously, but we haven’t stopped," he said.
   In a letter sent to parents this week, Mr. Bolandi said the schools "will continue on high alert."
   At Monday’s meeting, he also noted great support from parents and said keeping them informed is of the utmost importance.
   "We have administrators meeting with parents and teachers every day in the buildings," he said. "That’s working well, so we’ll continue it for whatever time it takes."
   How long an officer will remain in each building has not been determined, but Mr. Bolandi was filled with praise for Police Chief William Spain of East Windsor and James Eufemia of Hightstown for providing protection.
   "I think there’s going to come a time when, if no one is caught, in all fairness to the police departments they’re going to have to decrease it," Mr. Bolandi told the Herald earlier Monday. "They’ve done a phenomenal job, and I’m sure it’s very taxing on their departments."
   He reiterated that one of the security problems he sees is using school buildings as election polling places. Mr. Bolandi closed the district’s schools on Election Day, saying he could not control the flow of people going in and out of the buildings.