Schools 'Scrutinizing People More' in Wake of CT Massacre
Gloucester Township and Black Horse Pike Regional schools take steps to prevent tragedy.
Photos
In the minutes, hours and days following the cold-blooded murders of 20 young students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, communities across the nation pondered ways to prevent a similar school massacre in their town.
Gloucester Township is no different.
"Everybody had a very terrible, rude awakening again to how schools are soft targets," Gloucester Township Public Schools (GTPS) interim Superintendent John Bilodeau said on Tuesday.
And that means you better have a legitimate, verifiable reason to go into a school.
On Sunday, Mayor David Mayer sent out a letter via the township's Global Connect community alert system assuring residents of the police department and schools' "collective commitment to ensuring the safety of our students, teachers and parents at every school in our community."
Bilodeau followed suit, posting a letter to the local school district's website this week reminding residents that police have been "actively involved in specific safety drills" at township schools for several years now.
Across the nation, debate rages over the renewed push for stronger gun-control laws, particularly for an assault weapons ban.
To a lesser extent, people are discussing shortfalls in mental health care and the culture of violence that permeates pop culture.
In Gloucester Township, municipal, police and school officials discussed and began planning over the weekend a meeting to be held in January to go over school security and potential enhancements.
The Black Horse Pike Regional School District (BHPRSD) website includes a note stressing district officials intend to "continue to evaluate our school safety and security procedures."
Bilodeau expects lessons will be learned from what happened in Connecticut last week, bringing about safety improvements—possibly including physical changes to school buildings.
While potential changes to gun-control laws and school infrastructure would not happen for months, if not years, security measures have already been tweaked in and around GTPS and BHPRSD schools in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre.
For instance, school employees are more closely monitoring visitors to school buildings. All GTPS and BHPRSD buildings have video surveillance systems to view and record visitors, who must be buzzed in.
"Of course, everyone's senses are heightened with what's happened," BHPRSD Superintendent John Golden said Tuesday. "They're scrutinizing people more so than before."
Also, Gloucester Township Police Chief W. Harry Earle has directed increased patrols to schools.
The three BHPRSD high schools each already have an armed police officer assigned to them full-time. Timber Creek and Highland have Gloucester Township police officers, Triton a Runnemede police officer.
The 11 GTPS buildings do not have police officers in them at all times.
That could change in the future. While neither could commit to such an idea at this time, Bilodeau and Earle both acknowledged the conversation has taken place.
"Over the weekend, Chief Earle and I were brainstorming various things, and that was one of the things he brought up," Bilodeau said.
Earle did note Gloucester Township Police Department does currently have two full-time DARE officers who work in the 11 GTPS school buildings, as well as Erial Christian School and other private schools, year-round.
Darren Gladden
2:13 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
I would love to attend , I do not Trust the leadership in this town .I seen them first Hand they have no plan and are just winging this to ACT like they care If you so care about our KIDS so Much DAVE were the Heck is that AIR quality REPORT that I be so asking for for THREE years . Then just look at our PARKS and ballfields .....GIVE ME A BREAK PLEASE 'yes' you a GREAT guy and OUR BOND rating is an A+ ...... But "SIR " GIVE ME A BREAK stop acting like you are SOMEBODY DAVE and be somebody .......Get stuff DONE and DONE right STOP winging things and BEING A puppet FOR THE BROKEDOWN government we have in Office today .....Peace out Peeps and Please let's not live in FEAR the only thing we need to FEAR is Fear itself thanks FDR for those words ....Just care I do
Darren Gladden
5:51 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
SORRY WROTE THAT ^^^^^ ON DA FLy PEEPS , Decode it and you will understand we Need to MAKE major Changes to the LEADERSHIP in this town and all the MONEY Mayor Stachie AND HIS CREW hide and take from the people of GT the more and more POWER they have and the only way to beat them is AT THE BALLOT box .VOTE out the mayor in 2013........THEY CAN spend 800,000 on 4 council seat election but they can't spend a DIME to get a Field of dreams Built .....SMH people WAKE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP bunch of SELF GREEDY peeps in TOWN HALL
...
Darren Gladden
2:33 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Safety in Our school did we not have a HUGE cover up in One of our schools and all the same K.H"s are still on the school board'''''''''''wake up people """""'''. NOT ONE GOT VOTED out or not one put in their RESIGNATION LETTER in shame .. ....OMG PEOPLE wake up I need my sleep ...JUST CARE, I DO .......WERE DOES THE BUCK STOP ...............Right on your Desk Mayor ...... Now u better Get to work and the field of dreams meeting are starting to BUG me .....NOTHING GET'S DONE SAME SONG AND DANCE ..... I'm still here "SIR" and I'll always will be protecting what I feel is RIGHT NOW invest IN OUR YOUTH, Take care of the Old . This year the GT MAYOR spot is up in 2013 and I'm telling you all NOW . If my wonderful wife give's me the OKAY ........Lookout for Team JCID we are nothing LIKE the GTGOP we do not want to finish 2nd best ......We want to WIN and change things for the better for all ........ Peace out Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to all of you ......Even TO Thug Crew
Elandem
3:17 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
You sure have a lot to say about everything. I think you may be one of those people that is just never happy.
Darren Gladden
4:26 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thank you for Judging me but I feel in my heart and mind. I'm happy but when I'm watching things fall apart around me ......I will http://youtu.be/nSS0wtjrm1U and I am Happy, FREE and ALIVE .......Peace Out and enjoy your day and always SAY what you need to say ....
Schu
4:53 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Hmmm, We have an interim Superintendent and a High School district that allowed 3 perverts and 2 administrators to operate for months. I don't trust my districts anymore then the next person.
Hadenough
2:26 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
I'm with you on that !!!
Jeff
5:11 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012
It's mayor and his pawns that are dangerous. They are the creators of all the havoc in the township. LIARS AND CROOKS
Schu
10:56 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
The council and BOE create the problems then try to solve them with the wrong answers.
Paul J. DiBartolo
11:42 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
So, 11 GT public schools have no regular police presence but the three regional high schools do. Let me go out on a limb and postulate that police officers are stationed in the high schools more to deal with internal problems than an emergency originating from a stranger from the outside. If it were not so, why do the students that are most vulnerable from an outside risk , i.e., primary- and middle-schoolers, have no full-time police presence?
Secondly, we read: "For instance, school employees are more closely monitoring visitors to school buildings. All GTPS and BHPRSD buildings have video surveillance systems to view and record visitors, who must be buzzed in."
Hello, the invader of the Sandy Hook Elementary School did not wait to be buzzed in and he had no concern of being seen on video and being escorted out before he could do his dirty work. Locks did not stop him either, he just broke in. Without an armed security officer present all the video surveillance and scrutiny in the world is useless. Is this report of GT's efforts supposed to make us all feel good like our township has a handle on the issue? Sadly, as shown in Sandy Hook, the measures we have taken will do no good to stop someone who is intent on his or her goal.
I believe facts support the idea that an armed invader, such as the Sandy Hook invader, respond only to force, such force that can only be offered by armed personnel. I'd be interested in data to the contrary.
Schu
7:34 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
We have our middle schools where a student took a paintball guns into the building and the failed leadership does nothing but keep them in the main office all day. My nephew said to me today they had the young man sitting in the office all day. Wow, half day in the main office, real tough.
mr
5:10 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Now that one of our GT councilmen has been hired as a supervisor for GT elem/middle schools, school safety will be a collective commitment
mr
5:17 pm on Thursday, December 27, 2012
... A collective commitment as it should be and as it is. Our Children, all children, should feel safe when they enter their schools. God bless those children in Sandy Hook who experienced this horrific tragedy as they return to school next week.