SAYREVILLE – As a safety measure for students in Sayreville, security monitors will be present in the district’s schools.
The topic of security monitors, who will begin serving the district for the 2017-18 school year, was brought up at an Aug. 22 Board of Education meeting by board member Anthony Esposito.
Esposito said the security monitors will wear yellow shirts, with a badge in the front and “security” written on the back, and black pants, to identify them.
According to board member Michael Macagnone, each school in the district will have at least one security monitor, the Sayreville Middle School will have two and the Sayreville War Memorial High School will have four. Macagnone said the majority of the security monitors hired are retired law enforcement personnel.
A training session was held for the security monitors on Sept. 6 and further training sessions will be held during the school year, according to Esposito.
In order for those who are not district faculty or students to enter a school, including parents/guardians picking up their children, he/she must call to set up an appointment. Macagnone emphasized that the primary purpose of Sayreville’s enhanced security procedures is to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the district’s buildings.
A security system will also be in place to scan a form of identification for non-faculty members of the district’s Parent Teacher Organization, according to Eric Glock-Molloy, assistant superintendent of Information Technology and Operations. Individuals who scan a form of identification will receive a pass with a photo that they must wear while in the building.
Esposito acknowledged that the new security procedures would likely bring about issues with district parents and guardians.
“Parents are used to just entering our schools,” he said. “Now, if their child’s lunch or gym clothes [are] forgotten and they have to drop them off, they’re no longer allowed to go enter the school. It’ll be handed off to the security person at the door and that person will bring it to the student.
“It’s going to be a learning curve,” the board member continued. “[The security] has nothing to do with our trust for [parents and guardians]. It’s really for the security of our kids. And we’re going to have to train our parents. We’re going to be sensitive to the fact that people are going to [feel] insulted at first, but this is the new law of the land, and unfortunately, we have to go this route. But it is for the safety of our students and personnel.”
Contact Matthew Sockol at [email protected].