Friday, May 10, 2013
Officials said they hoped to have polling removed from schools for student safety.
Westwood Regional students won't have to go to class on June 4, when primary elections are held in schools. The district had two leftover snow days, so students will have off May 28 and June 4, Interim Superintendent Rory McCourt said Thursday. All after-school activities will still happen as scheduled. Officials had previously discussed moving the polling locations out of schools for security reasons, but the county refused, according to district Business Administrator Keith Rosado. McCourt previously told Patch that the district was reviewing their security and would "tighten procedures" following the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. which left 26 students and staff dead. "Sandy Hook is still fresh in everybody's minds…
Thursday, March 28, 2013
New Jersey School Board Association forum offered the opportunity for parents to hear from local law enforcement and school officials on what is being done to make schools safe.
When it comes down to being ready for an emergency situation in schools, the key element is preparedness. For a little more than two hours Wednesday night local law enforcement and school officials tackled the pressing issue of school safety in front of an audience of 200 made up mostly of parents by a show of hands. The New Jersey School Board Association hosted this forum at Paramus High School to give parents an opportunity to hear from local officials about what measures local districts are taking on this issue which has come to the forefront since the Newtown, Conn. tragedy. Among the panelists were Westwood police sergeants Michael Pontillo and Matthew McClutchy, Paramus' Acting Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg and Superintendent Ken …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Panel made up of local law enforcement officials includes Westwood Police Sgt. Michael Pontillo and Sgt. Matthew McClutchy.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Wednesday, March 13
The New Jersey School Boards Association will host a forum for parents on the topic of school safety and security which will be held at Paramus High School on March 27. The tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., has led local education officials and law enforcement to reassess school security measures and parents also need to play a crucial role in the discussion, reports the NJSBA. "Safe and Secure Schools: A Parent's Forum" will feature a panel of educators and law enforcement professionals who will discuss approaches that districts are taking to improve school safety. There will also be time dedicated for a question-and-answer session. Panelists include: Deputy Chief Kenneth R. Ehrenberg of Paramus Bergen County …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The video depicts two armed shooters breaking into a local school, and aims to teach school officials and emergency workers how to respond, report says
A new 20-minute video that depicts how police agencies, fire departments, emergency responders and school personnel should react to “active shooter” situations in schools is now available to districts across Bergen County, NJ.com reported Tuesday. “Lockdown,” which was produced by the County Prosecutor’s Office and filmed at David E. Owens Middle School in New Milford over a year ago, simulates a two armed attackers breaking into the school with rifles and a homemade bomb, the report says. According to NJ.com, the video shows how two teachers react to the situation differently, and points out which reaction is better, and why. "There have been so many [school shootings], and no two are ever identical," said Bergen County Police Sgt. John …
Monday, January 28, 2013
Acting Superintendent Rory McCourt has been meeting with other school officials and police to ensure students are protected.
Westwood Regional Schools have been reviewing their security to ensure student safety in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. school shooting, according to Acting Superintendent Rory McCourt. McCourt said he believe the district was already "in a good place" but would continue to "tighten procedures." "We're working really hard to support all the procedures that we have in the buildings," McCourt said. The schools already have been locking all doors and using cameras at entrances so all visitors can be identified. McCourt said he had also been meeting with the principals to discuss their crisis plans. The schools have been holding regular drills, but now are also planning to hold drills are particularly challenging times of day, McCourt said. …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Mahwah hosted a County School Boards Association panel discussion Thursday night where law enforcement and school officials made security suggestions for local schools
Armed guards are definitely not the solution to school safety questions brought up after the Newtown school shooting, but there are other measures school districts in Bergen County could be taking to make schools safer. That was the message of a panel of local law enforcement and school officials who commented on school safety concerns to a group of about 150 school board representatives at a special Bergen County School Boards meeting at Mahwah High School Thursday night. “In Mahwah, we are very opposed to having armed guards in schools,” Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli, a member of the panel - which also included the chiefs of the Hackensack, Hillsdale and Dumont departments, the Superintendent of the Dumont School District, and the …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Hillsdale schools and police have been reviewing security procedures.
New security guards had their first day of work at Pascack Valley High School and Pascack Hills High School Monday, according to Superintendent P. Erik Gundersen. The unarmed guards were recently hired via a contract with U.S. Securities Associates to supervise the front entrance of each school. Other doors to the schools are locked and under surveillance with cameras. The contract was approved at the Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education's previous meeting. The fact that the hires were made shortly after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. was just a coincidence, Gundersen previously told Patch. The money for the guards had been inlcuded in the district's budget last year. The schools are paying about $15 per hour for each guard, …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The unarmed guards will cover the entrances of Pascack Valley High School and Pascack Hills High School. Officials had been planning the increased security since last year.
Pascack Valley High School will feature a greater security presence starting as soon as next week. The Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education approved a contract this week with U.S. Securities Associates to hire two security guards — one for Pascack Valley High School and one for Pascack Hills — for the rest of the school year, according to Superintendent P. Erik Gundersen. The new guards will be unarmed and provide additional supervision to the front entrance of each school, Gundersen said. Currently, the schools already use cameras and keyless door locks which allow exit from any door, but forces anyone coming into the schools use the front door. Pascack Valley also has a School Resource Officer from the Hillsdale Police Department, …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
MLS players will travel to town affected by mass shooting to show support for devastated community.
Members of the New York Red Bulls and Major League Soccer will travel to Newtown, CT on Monday to raise funds for the families affected by the tragic Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, league officials announced. Soccer players will use the event to help raise attention, support and funding for these families with “Soccer Night in Newtown.” The shooting, which killed 27 people, including 20 children, had an especially strong impact on San Jose Earthquakes’ player Marcus Tracy, who grew up in Newtown and whose mother once taught at the school. Residents and members of the Newtown Youth Soccer Club have been invited to attend and meet professional soccer players including Red Bulls players Kenny Cooper, Ryan Meara and Heath …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The student was still being evaluated at an area hospital Friday.
Updated at 2:30 p.m. Friday Police arrested an 18-year-old Westwood Jr./Sr. High School student who allegedly made threats against another student Wednesday. Westwood and Washington Township Police conducted a joint investigation. A borough home was searched and some evidence was collected before the arrest was made, according to a press release from Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino. Regino said he could not specify what was taken from the home due to an ongoing investigation, but said that the man had been charged with possession of an imitation weapon. "At this time we do not believe that there exists any threat that could be carried out against the schools in the district," Regino said in the release. As of Friday, the student's …
scruffy
4:17 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Unfortunately it is being held the same night as the WWTEF (Westwood-Washington Township Education Foundation) Casino Night. That event will have many of the staff as well as parents in attendence there and unable to attend the forum. more ›