WEST WINDSOR: Officials, residents tackle safer schools

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   WEST WINDSOR — When 20-year-old Adam Lanza gunned down 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary last December, it sent resounding waves of anger and fear across the nation.
   For many, it was a wake-up call. It was proof that evil and heinous acts could happen anywhere and hurt the most innocent — even school children in a sleepy little town like Newtown, Conn.
   And if it could happen there, local school, town and police officials were forced to consider that it could certainly happen in the well-to-do West Windsor and Plainsboro.
   Consequently, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education and police officials and concerned residents from both townships have been actively discussing how to make the district’s schools safer.
   The Board of Education and police officials have been meeting frequently the past couple of months to discuss what extra measures should be put in place.
   Board President Hemant Marathe confirmed they are definitely budgeting for added security protocols for next year, but the question is which measures and to what degree. It appears like many other districts, the district is facing difficulties in making schools safer without turning the environment into a prison-like atmosphere.
   ”As WW-P reviews its crisis management plan and works to improve safety, we are taking a careful and measured approach, said David Aderhold, the district’s deputy superintendent. “We have been meeting with various stakeholders . . . to prepare short-term and long-term safety measures.”
   Schools have already amped up their security by adding additional cameras and locks inside the schools and actively refraining from having doors propped open. However, the district is looking to put more serious measures in place not only for next school year, but the coming years.
   Not quite ruling out anything just yet, the board is considering all suggestions from both the police officials and the West Windsor-Plainsboro Parents for Safer Schools, a grassroots organization that formed in response to the Newtown shooting rampage.
   The parent organization distributed a list of proposed security measures to the board and police such as: clear entry rules for visitors, minimize the time students wait for, enter and exit school buses to 10 minutes, single point entrances in each school.
   Visitors would also have to enter through a remote controlled door during school hours that would only grant admittance if the person were recognized by the circuit system. If they were not recognized, they would have to be escorted.
   Their other ideas include scannable visitor IDs, a silent panic alert button, solid metal doors with no windows, electronic locks on classroom doors that can only be engaged via keypad, metal bars and dead bolts on all classroom doors, drop down gates and a school resource officer at each school.
   ”We are not an ‘all or nothing’ type of group,” said Eris Carmel, one of the group’s founders. “We would be happy to see any additional safety measures adopted with the ultimate goal of making our schools as safe as possible in the event of a school shooting or any other emergency scenarios.”
   The organization also requested that police monitor the schools daily, increase their presence in each school and train school personnel.
   In an interview with West Windsor Sgt. Matt Kemp, he confirmed the police already do all of those things. In a world where price wasn’t an issue, he said some of the group’s proposals such as the roll-down gates and barred windows, still wouldn’t be considered because it would turn the school into a “fortress.”
   ”I’m not going to say their (proposals) were ridiculous — they all had security value and their direction is for the good, but we have to find that happy medium,” said Sgt. Kemp.
   However, he did agree with the idea of having a resource officer, in or out of uniform, in each school. He also said he realized that financially that probably wouldn’t happen. When asked how much a resource officer would cost, he estimated that it would be $75,000 annually, with salary and benefits included.
   To compromise, he suggested having one resource officer in each high school and one that would roam around to the rest of the schools. He emphasized these resource officers would be a coach or teacher type of figure, “not a rigid military figure” and would be selected by the board and Police Chief Joseph Pica.
   ”We understand no one wants an overbearing force,” he added. “We want them to be approachable while making sure there aren’t any threats in the schools.”
   Sgt. Kemp is also pushing for a “greeter” in each school, or a staff member who would physically guide visitors to where they need to go instead of having people wandering about the school. In theory, the greeter would be able to take immediate action by preventing suspicious individuals from entering the building and calling in the police to assess the situation.
   ”The aim is to create a culture of security — to become aware, be able to immediately report suspicious activities and have an immediate response,” said Sgt. Kemp.
   He also suggested hiring more security officers, use basic lighting during nighttime and having a type of “pull gate” in areas of the school that are not in use.
   School officials are still carefully weighing all options. Larry Shanok, the board and finance secretary, said they are taking the parents’ group’s proposals “very seriously.” However, he said some of their requests, such as windowless classroom doors, run counter to fire and state Department of Education codes.
   ”We are working very hard to do the most sensible things as soon as it makes sense,” said Mr. Shanok. “Everyone has different views and we’re busy gathering and synthesizing them — we want to take a careful look, rather than a quick look.”
   Both Mr. Shanok and Mr. Marathe did not reveal any particular stance on whether they thought resource officers were a good idea. Mr. Shanok described Sgt. Kemp’s $75,000 price tag as “optimistic” and Mr. Marathe deferred judgment to the administration.
   ”I am not an expert in this area; I never had a gun in my hand,” said Mr. Marathe. “If the administration takes a position in having a resource officer in each school, I would take a hard look at it in the best course of action.”
   However, Mr. Marathe did say he couldn’t see the district hiring a full-time officer for any of the schools in time for next year.
   When asked to comment on Sgt. Kemp’s suggestion for employing “greeters,” Mr. Shanok’s response didn’t appear to be very promising.
   ”What would you say if you were asked to stay in front of a school and the first time a nut came in, you were asked to stop them?” he asked. “It sounds good, but then it’s ‘hey, take one for the team’ — a lot of people don’t want to volunteer for that.”
   Mr. Aderhold said a budget would be presented to the board over the next few weeks for approval.
   ”At that time we will have a better understanding of how we are going to utilize our finances for safety and security purposes,” he added.