By Jessica Talarick
After tragedies like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, parents and school officials have questioned what they should be doing to keep kids safe. Those involved with the Robbinsville School District were no different.
Last spring, in a first step, the Board of Education commissioned a study on the schools’ security measures by Vigilant Resources International in New York City. VRI conducted a comprehensive study, which included interviewing community members and local law enforcement.
VRI submitted a report with their recommendations to the board in the summer. School district officials worked to put VRI’s recommendations into practice immediately, installing biometric scanners on the doors of the schools and launching a more rigorous visitor management protocol. The security measures are meant to decrease the likelihood of a suspicious person entering a school.
“The most critical thing that we want to do—and we already put in place—are measures that deter or delay entrance to the buildings,” Mayer said.
More changes are on the way for Robbinsville, too. Mayer said the school board is currently pricing security camera systems and hopes to have them in the schools by the start of next school year. Once the cameras are installed, the board plans to create a policy that allows the video to stream directly to the Robbinsville Police Station.
The police will continue to have a presence in RHS. Despite concerns expressed by Mayor David Fried and Police Chief Martin Masseroni at a January board meeting, Mayer said the board has funding for a school resource officer.
The school board also included funds for some upgraded security measures in building projects slated for Pond Middle School and Sharon Elementary. Visitors to Pond and Sharon will encounter a new double-locked vestibule. Visitors are first buzzed into the lobby, where they must present identification before they are allowed into the school. The high school has this feature as well.
In light of the new features, Mayer said the most important part of the district’s new security measures is changing the culture.
“I think most of what we learned is human behavior is your top preventer and we are working very diligently on the human side of things,” Mayer said.
This is something the district has already addressed in the measures introduced this year. The biometric scanners prevent school staff from propping exterior doors open, allowing easy access to a potential intruder. The scanners also prevent trespassers by requiring a fingerprint scan of those wishing to enter the building; faculty and staff can now enter the building using their fingerprints instead of metal keys.
It also means building access can be revoked immediately when a staff member leaves the district.
“So far, we are finding that to be fantastic; it gives great control of the building,” Mayer said.
The enhanced visitor management protocol also provides the district better control of who enters the building. When visitors enter the building, they come to the main office, where they are asked to present their driver’s license. Then, the main office staff takes the visitor’s picture, scans his or her ID through a database and prints a visitor badge. At $2,500 per school, Mayer said the protocol is relatively inexpensive and helps keep track of who is coming in and out of the school.
Mayer said he hopes to create a culture within the schools similar to that of an airport; students and staff should speak up if they see something or someone suspicious.
Another cultural change may seem impolite, but Mayer urges students and staff to stop holding doors open for individuals approaching the building behind them.
“We have to get into a mindset that there’s a process when visitors enter our building,” Mayer said.
Students and staff also may have noticed an increase in emergency drilling procedures. As of 2010, the New Jersey Department of Eduction requires schools to conduct one fire drill and one security drill per month. Mayer has added his own twist to security drilling.
He has been testing lock down procedures during times schools do not typically conduct drills, like when students are changing classes or at lunch. He also likes to try out different scenarios and start the drill from different locations in the building.
He says frequent drills help students to become automatic in emergency situations.
“We’ve drilled a variety of different scenarios and we’ll continue that process because creating a culture where we can get our kids safe if there is an emergency, that’s ultimately one of the things we want to be very, very good at,” Mayer said.
Robbinsville was not the only Mercer County school district concerned with security. Ewing Township superintendent Michael Nitti said following the shooting at Sandy Hook the district reviewed its security measures.
“Obviously, the tragedy at Sandy Hook had a tremendous impact on all of us in education,” said Nitti, a Robbinsville resident. “Over the past year, the Ewing Public Schools have conducted a comprehensive school security audit consisting of increased training, internal audits, and crisis plan reviews.”
Ewing has since enhanced security practices through new technology, changes in protocol, facility improvements and the addition of two school security coordinators.
Officials from the Lawrence School District declined comment, citing security concerns.
