BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—A Bergen County task force on school safety, formed after the Valentine’s Day 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. reported on March 14 that area school districts have critical work ahead to improve policies, train staff, and enhance facility security. It also called for renewing a focus on mental health in the schools.
The first 24-page annual report of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Safe Schools Task Force was delivered at a news conference at Harrington Park School. The Task Force takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the issue of school safety, with the primary focus on developing best practices for prevention and response to potential school shooting situations.
Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo, joined by task force members, said the group’s goal was to bring together diverse professionals interested in enhancing school safety, including in law enforcement, county government, mental health, private sector, and education.
In Parkland, an expelled student, 19, opened fire, killing 17 students (including Alyssa Alhadeff, formerly of Woodcliff Lake) and staff members and injuring 17 others. He fled the scene on foot by blending with other students and was arrested about an hour later in nearby Coral Springs.
The spree was the deadliest high school shooting in American history, and horrified the nation. It also prompted a wave of vigils, school walkouts, and school safety and gun control forums in the Pascack Valley and Northern Valley areas, as elsewhere.
Many parents took to the public microphone at school board and borough council meetings to share their fears and demand changes.’
‘Take immediate steps’
Calo said the task force was determined to take “substantial immediate steps and to make solid practical recommendations that can be implemented now to make our schools safe” plus long-term steps focused on prevention and active shooter response.
Calo said long-term recommendations also address students’ mental health needs, which “have historically been the background and a contributing cause to school disruption and violence.”
Recommendations include having mental-health assessment teams and having school psychologists available to treat students in need.
Calo said the task force will soon offer a tipline for students, teachers, and parents to report concerns anonymously.
Protocols to secure school facilities are included.
In urging security training to school staff countywide, the report provides seven pages of recommendations spanning policy, training, and facility security.
Policy recommendations include protocols for eliminating unauthorized building access, such as single-point entry and not using schools as polling locations.
Recommended training includes reviews of lockdown drills, emergency response protocols for school security and police, and engaging students and parents in understanding their roles in a school safety plan.
Facility security recommendations include creating “retention vestibules” to control entry; installation of closed circuit TV/security system; exterior strobe lights; equipping classrooms with a stay/shelter kit; tinted window screens; positioning classroom furniture for possible barricade use, and installing better door locks.
Calo said consultants offer districts the opportunity to create digital maps of schools to enable emergency responders to identify how best to respond to an emergency.
Calo said three training courses have been created for school personnel in mental health, facilities security, and school violence. These courses have provided training to more than 1,500 school staff and the task force recommends training be completed by all staff in schools, from principals to janitors. He said more training courses will be added.
“We don’t have all the answers now. But we hope that we’ll get better in this with continuing experience. The task force is a continuing endeavor,” he said.
Calo said the task force has created a school safety accreditation program for all schools to certify safety, which was chaired by Harrington Park Superintendent Dr. Adam Fried.
A pilot program in five diverse school districts to start in fall after the accreditation committee develops interim accreditation requirements was planned.
Training is key, report says
“I think the key to this report for me is the training. The training brings everything together,” Calo said, noting mental health, facilities security and emergency response training.
“I think if we get everybody on board with training, they will see the need for other initiatives we have laid out,” he added.
Asked about cost, Calo said a comprehensive school safety initiative is laid out by the schools and that “This can only be done in Bergen County because we have such tremendous support from our county government.”
He said support among government, public officials, and school officials was driving the efforts to make schools more secure and safe.
“I don’t think we can put a price tag on school safety. It’s too important,” Calo said.
‘Early intervention’
Mental Health Committee chair Amie Del Sordo, of CarePlus, said a long-term mental health recommendation is prevention and early intervention.
“The goal is to provide that service early on in collaboration with school personnel and law enforcement and get the student the help they need,” she said.
Calo said the task force recommends each school have a care assessment team “to meet and assess student needs as they arise.” He said the team should include school administrators, security personnel, and a mental health professional such as a psychologist.
“You don’t have to have psychologist on premises but you have to have a psychologist available to meet the students’ mental health needs and make assessments,” Calo said.
He said for a district to have armed security or officers, these individuals must take active-shooter training to carry a firearm in schools. The report does not recommend armed officers.
“The decision to employ armed security in schools must be made in light of the individual circumstances of each school, including student population, neighborhood, proximity to police department, etc.,” the report reads in part.
“The message for parents is this: persuade your schools and your school district to get on board with the safe schools’ initiative,” Calo said.
Bergen County Freeholder Mary Amoroso told Pascack Press that physical building security (tinted windows to prevent intruders) and a locked secure single point of entry; an anonymous reporting app planned for reporting mental health concerns, and emergency response protocols and digital mapping of schools were critical school safety concerns.
Amoroso said the county Freeholders will vote on approving an anonymous tip line app, called LiveSafe, on March 19.
The tip line provides anonymity to callers to report suspected student mental health concerns and threats and will be staffed at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
The tip line can also be used to report cyber bullying, bullying, and other possible threats.
County Executive James Tedesco III said every school district should review the report and try to adopt the recommendations. He urged districts to send more personnel for training under the school safety initiative.