COURT HOUSE – It all started after the Columbine High School shooting in Columbine, Colorado, April 20, 1999. Security measures at schools across the nation drastically increased. The Columbine tragedy brought school safety and security to the forefront.
As districts prepared and assessed their schools’ safety plans, lawmakers and educators asked what more they could do to keep children, teachers, and schools safe.
New Jersey enacted many mandates for school districts to implement. Some security measures include employing trained school resource officers (SRO) in schools, requiring annual training on school safety for school employees, having funds available for security services and technology, and requiring a memorandum of understanding with local police departments.
Every New Jersey school district is required to develop and implement comprehensive plans and procedures that provide for the safety and security at all schools.
Also required in New Jersey are monthly security/lockdown drills in every school.
Locked doors and secured front entrances are the norm.
More to be Done?
Following the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, with 19 children and two teachers dead, New Jersey legislators are, again, proposing more bills to protect schools and communities.
David Salvo, superintendent, Middle Township Public School District, said he feels his district does all it can for the security and safety of his students and employees.
He noted that having scheduled safety meetings within each school building, encouraging communication and discussions with team members, requiring training of all staff, even substitutes, and forming positive relationships with the community are all working effectively.
Salvo also acknowledged that he is always reevaluating what more the district can do.
“I would appreciate any support from the state or federal government because you can never have enough security,” he stated.
Superintendent Joe Castellucci, of Lower Cape May Regional School District, agrees with Salvo’s statement, adding, “We have many protocols in place to keep our students and staff as safe as possible and routinely evaluate and reevaluate those protocols.”
A day after the Texas school shooting, Gov. Phil Murphy presented another package of gun safety measures.
New Jersey leads the nation in strong gun control laws, but legislators feel that New Jersey can do more. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), with 200,000 members, agrees, demanding stricter gun laws.
According to researcher and author Adam Grant, 81% of Americans support universal background checks and 87% want to ban gun purchases by those with mental illness.
A teacher in the Lower Cape May Regional School District, who requested her name not be published, agreed with surveys she has read, stating, “The term common-sense gun laws are something I agree with. What person needs an assault rifle?”
“I feel safe in my school, but there is a sense of ‘can it happen here and what will I do,'” she added.
She also agrees with many educators that the age to buy a gun should be raised to 21.
A Lower Township resident, who teaches in a local school district and asked to remain anonymous, stated, “My district has increased security with experienced personnel. My students haven’t stressed about the school shootings. I think they feel, like anyone may feel, that it won’t happen here.”
Herald interviews with local teachers and students revealed that many teachers talk with students after a tragedy happens; children want to feel safe in their schools, and most feel comfortable talking with fellow classmates, teachers, and counselors. Class meetings are more common now, where students can talk, share, and feel comforted.
Overall, most educators and students feel safe, however, many parents interviewed for this article agree that each school should have an active on-duty police officer present.
The Texas State Teachers Association pleaded after the school shooting tragedy, “How many more mass shootings need to happen before these lawmakers finally take responsibility and address the gun safety issue?”
President Joe Biden agrees.
He stated, “For the children we’ve lost, the children we can save, for the nation we love, let’s hear the call and the cry. Let us finally do something. Enough is enough.”
To contact Sarah Renninger, email srenninger@cmcherald.com.
