BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

Commenting in the wake of recent incidents of school violence across the nation, Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent of Schools James Wasser said he believes the district's six schools are safe.

However, he said the prospect of the unknown warrants additional measures and funding.

"I think we are doing a lot of things, but there are no fool-proof things - look at the airlines," Wasser said during the FRHSD Board of Education's Oct. 9 meeting in Englishtown. "Even if you put up barbed wire and have metal detectors ... we are living in a different world. We have to figure it out. It's a tough thing to deal with. Most [measures] will be budgetary concerns."

The superintendent said he has been "inundated with calls" over the past few weeks relating to school violence concerns. He sought to reassure parents by stating that he frequently meets with school administrators to reinforce important safety procedures.

Wasser said the biggest issue to address is the practice of leaving school building doors ajar.

As a rule, Wasser said, the doors are locked and should remain that way. However, during warm weather or for convenience some doors may be left open - leaving the school vulnerable.

"I will sometimes go around the building myself to check," he said. "It's everybody's responsibility."

Wasser said a school's front door should be the only entrance that remains unlocked. There, teachers are stationed and require visitors to sign in.

In the future, Wasser said, a buzzer system for entry could be implemented, but financial constraints may squash the idea.

Board member Bonnie Rosenwald also expressed concern about school doors being left open. She referenced a college dorm facility she is familiar with and said the district might want to employ a similar system. At the dorm, when a door has been left open for a short amount of time, an alarm sounds and continues to sound until the door is closed.

"It comes down to dollars and cents, but maybe that's something we can look into," Rosenwald said.

Wasser said the use of the schools after hours also creates an issue to be considered.

Resident Jeanne Patterson of Freehold Township addressed the board during the public comment session and suggested purchasing additional security gates to be used in the schools after regular hours.

Wasser said the security gates in place now are effective, and again, more gates would be a cost issue.

Among other measures the district uses, Wasser said surveillance cameras that were obtained in the past few years "have been phenomenal. They are worth their weight in gold."

He said costs associated with the equipment have been offset through the use of grants and by having district employees handle the installation of the cameras. He said having 30 cameras in place at each school would be ideal.

The district employs two security guards at each building who "are outside walking the parking lots and most of them are former police officers," according to Wasser, who added that all school employees wear identification cards in order to provide "constant visibility."

Finally, he said, "all schools have drills where they [partner] with the police department. Then, [the police] go over and critique. The more practice you have, the better you are."

Wasser will also meet with the police chiefs of the district's eight sending municipalities to discuss safety.

Board member Christopher Placitella offered the following suggestion to Wasser, which the superintendent took under advisement.

"Maybe we can do an audit report to ensure procedures in place are uniform," Placitella said. "I'd hate to be in a situation where in four schools, you did this, and in a fifth that has a problem, you did this."

In summation, Wasser reinforced his position that the six schools are safe.

"We're trying," the superintendent said. "We're doing the best we can to help protect our kids."