Schools Enhance Security—Is It Enough?

Neighboring Mt. Olive High School on cusp of hiring full time, armed retired police officer.

The security of students in school has become a national issue in the past month, after a 20-year-old man opened fire in a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people before turning the gun on himself. Locally, steps have been taken to enhance security measures in various school districts. In Marlboro, New Jersey, the school district’s board of education approved the implementation of armed security guards in each of the town’s nine school buildings less than a week after the Connecticut shooting. On Thursday, it was announced by neighboring school district Mt. Olive that the high school there is one board of education vote away from installing an armed, retired police officer in that building. The topic has now been brought …

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DXJ

6:35 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A guard absent a plan is pointless. School officials need to initiate a security audit and work with local law enforcement to come up with a plan to address the audit deficiencies. I'd rather a local retired cop function as security officer (or asset manager, whatever eduspeak they use these days not to scare the sheeple), which is to say he is a lot more than an "armed guard".   more ›

NY Red Bulls to Participate in 'Soccer Night in Newtown'

MLS players will travel to town affected by mass shooting to show support for devastated community.

Members of the New York Red Bulls and Major League Soccer will travel to Newtown, CT on Monday to raise funds for the families affected by the tragic Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, league officials announced. Soccer players will use the event to help raise attention, support and funding for these families with “Soccer Night in Newtown.” The shooting, which killed 27 people, including 20 children, had an especially strong impact on San Jose Earthquakes’ player Marcus Tracy, who grew up in Newtown and whose mother once taught at the school. Residents and members of the Newtown Youth Soccer Club have been invited to attend and meet professional soccer players including Red Bulls players Kenny Cooper, Ryan Meara and Heath …

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What's the Real Reason Behind the Violence?

Patch wants to know your thoughts on why 2012 was rife with violence.

As we embark on 2013, we know 2012 was a year full of memories–both good and bad. What we did see last year, however, was a large amount of violence, much of which included weapons and led to horrific tragedies. There was the movie theater shooting in Colorado, the mall shooting in Oregon, and the mid-December massacre of 20 children at an elementary school in Connecticut. For some, the violent acts turned into a debate and forum for gun control. For others, it was about the safety–or lack thereof–in schools and public places. Then there were the parents and even some media columnists who pointed at the ever-growing amount of accepted violence in television, movies and music. Many believe it's an oversight in helping the mentally ill …

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What's the Real Reason Behind the Violence?

Long Valley Patch wants to know your thoughts on why 2012 was rife with violence.

Should Local Schools Have Armed Guards?

One district in New Jersey already voted to hire guards for schools.

Less than a week after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults in a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school, a New Jersey school district took action, with its board of education approving to hire armed security guards at each of its buildings. The Marlboro Board of Education approved the action on Dec. 20, as reported in Marlboro-Colts Neck Patch, and will have armed security guards in each of its nine school buildings at the start of the new year.  Another debate about gun control regulations and laws was sparked after the massacre in Newtown, with many calling for stricter legislations and enforcement. On the other side, the National Rifle Association said it recommended schools hire armed guards, as the board approved in Marlboro. …

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Newtown Shooting Spurs NJ School Security Reaction

School districts in the region respond to Connecticut massacre by reviewing safety procedures.

At 9:30 a.m. Friday, 26 bells were rung, one each for the lives taken in the hallways and classrooms of Sandy Hook Elementary School during the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn. The Friday before Christmas, typically a day reserved for holiday parties and cheer, marked a week since what has been labeled the second deadliest school shooting in America.  Just days and even hours after the shooting, school districts in Morris and Somerset counties sprung into action, developing plans to communicate with parents and reaching out to police officers about how to make schools more safe. "Right now, the crucial thing for school boards to do is to look at the security procedures in place," said Frank Belluscio, communications director for the New …

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Centenary Students Send Well Wishes to Newtown

Banner holds signatures, ribbons commemorating 27 dead in school shooting.

Age and location make no difference when it comes to expressing condolences to the families of those who were killed in the Newtown, Connecticut massacre.  Students at Centenary College in Hackettstown have created a large canvas banner, containing 27 green ribbons with the initials and age of each victim from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Students from the college have been signing the banner with well-wishes for the families and community. The banner will sent to the Newtown community in remembrance of those whose lives were taken. "In times of great sadness, a kind word, even from a total stranger can help to ease one's pain. We hope this canvas, with our kind words, will help in some small way,” said Kerry Mullins, Dean of…

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