Schools
Heights Parents Plea to Officials to Help Make Schools Safer
Members of the group Hasbrouck Heights Parents for Safe Schools came before the Mayor and council Tuesday night asking for their support in getting police officers into school buildings to protect the children.
A group of parents petitioning for police presence in Hasbrouck Heights public schools brought their plea to the governing body Tuesday night asking for their support.
Denise Ejgird spoke on behalf of Hasbrouck Heights Parents for Safe Schools which formed shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, stating that police presence would provide a number of benefits including discouraging bullying and reducing school crimes.
The number one thing being that it would be a huge advantage in an emegency situation with an active shooter, according to Ejgird.
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"As taxpayers and parents we owe it our children and they deserve this," Ejgird stated offering a number of statistics of school shootings over the past few years including seven which already took place just two months into 2013.
"If one school crime can be prevented, and one life saved, I ask you Mayor Heck, aren't our children worth it?" pleaded Ejgird. See attached video clip.
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Loni Peele, another member of the group, said "the key to minimizing casualites when a crazed gun man is on a mission is to cut down police response time by having a police presence already on scene the battle is practically won."
Mayor Rose Heck informed them of the many measures the police department has been taking from working with the school officials on security to adding police presence by having an officer visit the schools during the day.
She referred to the measures the school district is taking including a security assessment which is slated to begin shortly.
A special Board of Education meeting is set for Wednesday where trustees are expected to award a contract so the assessment can begin immediately, as per the district website calendar.
The mayor said she believed "everything you are petitioning for is being looked at and acted upon as quickly as possible."
The special Board of Ed meeting is set for 7 p.m Wednesday, Feb. 13 in the middle school/high school media center.
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