NJ school agrees to put police back into schools
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON NJ Jan 10 2022—Acting Westwood Regional School District Superintendent Jill Mortimer says the district has “a clear direction from multiple groups of stakeholders” to proceed with the hiring of a Class II officer for duty at the regional high school, rounding out the current security roster, which includes an armed guard in the district.
The school board, she said in Jan. 3 outreach to school families, her first of 2022, “will have … discussions as to whether to institute a Class III officer [armed] in each school as part of the budget development process that will take place over the next few months.”
She told families, “Now that we are back in the swing of things, I want to update you on the District’s plan for instituting a Class II police officer and eventually Class III police officers in one or more of our schools.”
She said the board will vote Jan. 6 [just after our press time] on whether to pay the Township of Washington $25 per hour for a Class II police officer at the high school from January until the end of the year.
She also said that according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “a study of 67 averted school attack plots revealed in nearly one-third of the cases a police officer played a role in either reporting the plot or responding to a report made by someone else.”
She added, “The research on the importance of conducting threat assessments is persuasive, and I plan to create a Threat Assessment Committee in the near future.”
She described the survey results as:
68.7% of parents agree/strongly agree with the statement, “The Westwood Regional School District should provide a Class III Special Law Enforcement Officer at each Elementary School site,” and 60% of district employees agree with the statement.
“In all groups, no more than 20% disagree/strongly disagree with the statement,” Mortimer explained.
The balance of each group’s results fell under the neutral rating, she said.
On Jan. 4, the school board wrote families as well, thanking them for providing input on the survey and discussing some responses, providing graphs and charts. The board said the feedback would be used in “setting goals, revising policy, and approving funding.”
The board said:
Regarding Items 2–4, responding to the statement: “The Westwood Regional School District should provide a Class III Special Law Enforcement Officer at…”
659 parents responded and 135 employees responded.
The majority of both the parent and school employee groups strongly agree/agree with the statement for all three levels (i.e., High School/Preschool, Middle School, Elementary Schools).
In both groups and for all levels, no more than 20% disagree/strongly disagree with the statement.
The balance of each group’s results fell under the neutral rating.
Regarding open-ended Item 5. “Please use the following space to add your school security related comments: (Optional)…”
167 parents responded and 28 employees responded.
90 parents and nine employees expressed interest in and/or support for Class III Officers at our schools.
28 parents and four employees expressed disinterest in Class III officers at our schools. Some were simply opposed and some preferred other funding priorities (e.g., counseling).
49 parent and 15 employee comments fell in the neutral category, as they did not express being for or against having Class III officers at our schools. Rather, they made statements and asked questions about pieces of SLEO III work, other district-related issues, and other aspects of safety and security that are specific to our district.
The board said, “Again, we thank you for your time and participation. While no survey instrument or process is perfect, that would never preclude the need to gather valuable feedback. Your contributions are meaningful and important, and for that reason, we strive to create opportunities that are as inclusive as possible.”
In her outreach, Mortimer said, “I realize this is an emotional topic; therefore, my letter to you presents only an overview, some preliminary data, and a timeline of events. This is my recommendation to the board based upon the activities and consultations that have transpired over the past few months.”
She pointed out that the district already employs a safety and security specialist, “and that individual is armed. There is no plan to eliminate that position, as each district is required to have an employee serving in that role.”
She said, “A Class III officer could not hold that title.”
Moreover, she said, “We are fortunate to have police officers from both municipalities who already walk through our schools on a daily basis. The addition of officers will enable us to extend our existing security efforts, not necessarily start new ones.”
The K-12 district consists of its regional high school and Washington and Jessie F. George elementary schools in the township, and its regional middle school and Berkeley and Brookside elementary schools in Westwood.
It’s about relationships
The Class II officer, Mortimer said Jan. 3, will be encouraged to make relationships with students and have a presence in the high school.
“I want to make it very clear that the officer will only act in his/her official capacity if a crime has been committed. There will be no unreasonable searches of students, and the high school’s administration will continue to be the lead on all disciplinary issues,” Mortimer said.
She added, “We will benefit from the officer’s ability to provide an immediate, live-feed of any emergency we may be having over the police radio.”
She said when she took over for Ray González in August, she had a “get to know you” meeting with district police chiefs Richard Skinner of the Township of Washington and Pontillo of the Borough of Westwood.
Mortimer said the agenda included general security issues and that all agreed on instituting Class III police officers “in the near future.”
At that meeting, Mortimer said, the chiefs explained the differences between School Resource Officers, Class III Officers, and Class II Officers:
School Resource Officer: a full-time police officer with salary and health benefits.
Class III Officer: a retired office under 65 who undergoes the same hiring process as a regular police officer. The individual has full police powers and full retirement health benefits, and represents a cost-effective way to provide an experienced officer for about one-third of the price of an SRO. At $35 per hour, “the person will be an employee of the police department, yet the chief will be receptive to any feedback the superintendent provides about the individual.”
Class II Officer: these often seek full-time employment as police officers. “As such, we may have some turnover in the role, which is less than ideal. They have attended most training for a full police officer position.” The rate of pay for a Class II is $25 per hour, she said.
‘Man-traps’ pass
In March 2021 trustees voted, 5–4, to approve spending more than $1 million to install security vestibules at each of five district schools to help prevent unauthorized access.
Voting in favor were Maureen Colombo, Andrew Gerstmyer, Roberta Hanlon, Matthew Perrapato, and Joseph Abou-Dauod. Voting against were Michael Pontillo, Stacey Price, Frank Romano and Michelle Sembler. (The composition of the board has since changed.)
Pontillo criticized the proposal on introduction and at its vote, calling the $1,041,000,00 expenditure “a feel-good measure, it’s a kneejerk. It’s really not going to make anyone safer.”
Pontillo also has said he would not participate in discussions or votes related to any school security hire he would be supervising.
