TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Superintendent Jill Mortimer wrote Westwood Regional School District families and staff at 8 p.m. to briefly discuss what happened earlier in the day, Tuesday, April 16, when the high school went into lockdown; and to assure families that despite the inciting security system malfunction, since corrected, all was well and that school would resume as scheduled on Wednesday morning.
She singled out Special Law Enforcement Officer John DiGirolamo “for acting immediately while the staff and students were locked down in their classrooms,” and said guidance counselors are available “should any student or staff member need assistance with processing what occurred today.”
As we reported in “Investigation in the works after Westwood Regional High School locks down, kids shelter,” from roughly 11:10 a.m. to the school’s early release at 12:50 p.m., police from Township of Washington, Westwood, and Emerson were seen on campus, keeping order and clearing the building. Cars lined Ridgewood Road and the school’s main driveway, with parents waiting there, and in the main parking lot, for details and talking on cell phones.
Cpl. Chris Osenbruck, public information officer for the Washington Township Police Department, later posted that the department thanked the Westwood, River Vale, Hillsdale, Emerson and Ridgewood police departments, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team, for their quick response.
Osenbruck said, “Township Police want to advise students and their families that there were no indications of threats or harm to the school, students, or personnel during this incident. The Westwood High School staff and students followed all appropriate protocols and should be commended for their professionalism and cooperation. The school is now considered safe and secure.”
Mortimer’s note at 8 p.m. says the lockdown system is fully functional, and gives insight into how school administration and police agencies coordinate on outreach with families during such emergencies. She said:
Today was a stressful day in our tight-knit community. For those of you who may not have seen my prior messages, the High School went into a lockdown shortly after 11 a.m. The technology we use for emergency notifications malfunctioned, yet it was serviced late this afternoon. I cannot say anything else about our security equipment and procedures, as they are confidential. The system is fully functional, and the High School will open at its regular time tomorrow morning. We had an early dismissal at the High School today because we did not want the alarm to accidentally go off again and cause even more panic.
Please know I communicated with our families as soon as I could. I too am required to be in lockdown wherever I am in the building, and I cannot communicate about emergency operations without consulting with the Police Chief. We co-author communications together because we cannot speak for one another. That is the protocol.
I want to thank our Special Law Enforcement Officer, John DiGirolamo, for acting immediately while the staff and students were locked down in their classrooms. I also deeply appreciate the efforts of the Township of Washington, Westwood, and Emerson Police Departments. Everyone worked together to make a difficult situation manageable, and all protocols were followed.
Our Guidance Counselors are available should any student or staff member need assistance with processing what occurred today.
Chief [John] Calamari from the Township of Washington suggested Westwood parents may want to sign up for the Township’s Nixle alerts, as the police department provided updates throughout the event as well. You can do so through this link.
While today’s events were unfortunate, the situation enabled us to practice our procedures in what we thought was a true emergency. I debriefed what occurred with the entire Administrative Team in a meeting this afternoon, and I will do the same with Chief Calamari within the next few days.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. I am truly sorry about this unfortunate event and the stress it has caused.
Jill Mortimer, Ed.D.
We will update this story.
