Connecticut school massacre prompts safety local safety review
By Charley Falkenburg, Special Writer
ROBBINSVILLE — In light of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut three weeks ago, the Board of Education is considering beefing up security measures by manning the district’s schools with armed guards.
In a lengthy discussion at the Dec. 18 Board of Education meeting, four days after the shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary killed 20 children and six adults, school board members and administrators debated how Robbinsville schools should respond. Like the rest of the nation, Robbinsville is scrambling to evaluate and amp up its security to better protect children and school staff.
So far, the board is exploring ideas such as conducting a security audit, tightening identification policies and incorporating vestibules in the planned renovations at Sharon Elementary School and Pond Road Middle School. However for Superintendent Steve Mayer, the core decision was whether to put an armed security official in each school to help prevent tragedies like the Newtown massacre from happening in Robbinsville.
After talking to law enforcement experts, Dr. Mayer appeared to view this precaution as a necessary evil.
”New Jersey has security procedures, but they stop short of putting an armed person in your building and from the people I talked to, that’s the best preventative measure,” Dr. Mayer said. “Do I want guards and metal detectors in our schools and have that imagery for our kids? I don’t think anyone of us wants that, but unfortunately we’ve progressed to that level of conversation.”
Dr. Mayer said Wednesday he has obtained pricing for contracted private security personnel, but also intends to meet with the township police next week to discuss other options. The district used to have a township police officer assigned specifically to the high school, but he was removed last year because of a manpower shortage in the police department.
The main purpose of the guards would be to deter mentally unstable people such as the Connecticut shooter Adam Lanza, from targeting the school buildings. The 20-year-old Mr. Lanza, who killed his mother in her home before taking her automatic weapons to the Sandy Hook Elementary School and embarking on a shooting spree, committed suicide after the massacre as police arrived.
The addition of armed guards in Robbinsville school buildings could impact the upcoming school budget, but Dr. Mayer said it was a commitment that must be made at the expense of faculty decisions even though the district continues to grow. Once in place, Dr. Mayer said the practice of using armed guards would be a “forever kind of commitment” that would become a fixture in the district’s operating budget.
None of the board members opposed the idea, but some had an issue with Dr. Mayer’s other main proposal: the creation of a committee made up of administrators, teachers, board members, parents and local law officials tasked with making recommendations on the security issues.
Departing Board of Education member Keith Kochberg took issue with the ad hoc committee proposal.
”As a parent and a community member, what do I know? What makes any of us qualified?” Mr. Kochberg asked. “I don’t feel incredibly comfortable knowing some Joe Schmo like me assessed the safety of our school buildings.”
Mr. Kochberg added he would rather pay money to have experts come and make suggestions on how to bolster safety protocols at Robbinsville schools.
Other members echoed Mr. Kochberg, emphasizing the urgency for a security audit for each building, rather than a committee, to do just that.
Noting the recently passed referendum to renovate Sharon Elementary School and Pond Road Middle School, board member Thomas Halm pointed out a security audit was needed as soon as possible to create a stronger structural design, such as the addition of vestibules.
Board members Vincent Costanza and Carol Boyne liked the idea of community input, but Mrs. Boyne appeared uneasy about having the district’s assessments, strengths and weaknesses revealed to a broad group of people.
Mr. Halm and board member Sharon DeVito agreed, adding that putting sensitive security information out there could put the children more at risk.
As the board grapples with whether to create a committee and hire armed guards, it is also looking at ways to quickly beef up other school operating procedures. Dr. Mayer and Mrs. Boyne suggested having staff and faculty use swipe cards instead of keys to enter buildings and to require visitors to wear badges.
Board President Mike Reca said any final decisions regarding the committee and other proposals will come after tonight’s (Jan. 3) Board of Education reorganization meeting.

