Cranbuyr POlice Department recommended upgrade.
By: Lacey Korevec
The Cranbury school board is working on how to use a $15,000 security system that was approved for purchase May 1.
The Cranbury Police Department recently recommended that the school upgrade its security system so that all of the doors can be monitored and locked through an electronic system. The system would allow main office personnel to see visitors as they approach the locked main entrance and buzz them in, board member Frank Ransegnola said Wednesday.
But the board has not yet decided on how the school should use the new system, he said.
"We approved the purchase of the equipment," Mr. Ransegnola said. "So, it’s going to be purchased and installed and that will give the policy committee the opportunity to decide how they want to use it. They may want to lock out the doors during certain times of day or they may decide to lock out the doors just when the building is closed and there’s no one coming in. But we wanted to give them the flexibility to decide."
Currently, when school is in session, the main entrance is unlocked and visitors can enter the building freely, but must go through the main office first, where they’re asked to sign in and wear a visitor’s sticker, Mr. Ransegnola said.
"Parents can come right into the main office, sign in and go right into the school from there," he said. "So, this new system would give us the ability to keep those doors locked unless the office staff wants people to enter the building."
Mr. Ransegnola said the new system, inspired by current events and safety concerns that schools are facing nationwide, is intended to protect the students in the school from "unauthorized intruders."
"The board just doesn’t want to give people a feeling that we’re locking down the school," he said. "We don’t want anyone to think that we’re locking parents out of school because that’s not what this system is for."
Police Chief Jay Hansen said Thursday that the recommendation for the new system was not prompted by any specific local concerns.
"It’s the prudent thing to do," he said. "And we are interested in the safety of both the children and the school staff."
The board is planning to discuss the use of the new system with parents at an open board meeting, but has not yet chosen a date for the event. Once a date is decided on, the board will post it on the school’s Web site, www.cranburyschool.org, to invite parents and community members to attend the discussion, Mr. Ransegnola said.
"We’re going to advertise in advance that the school entry policy will be discussed," he said. "Based on that input, the policy committee can meet and say, ‘parents want more freedom in the school,’ or ‘they want more restrictions.’ They can base it on what the community is asking for."