6 Police Officers Hired To Be Stationed At Bernards Township Schools

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Six new Special Law Enforcement Officers III were hired to be stationed at every Bernards Township School ahead of the 2023-24 school year.

The Bernards Township Committee unanimously passed a resolution for the personnel appointments of the six officers at the Aug. 15 meeting.

The officers hired include (and where they will be stationed):

• David Malina, SLEO III - Ridge High School
• James Nugent, SLEO III - Cedar Hill Elementary School
• Randy Pelley, SLEO III - William Annin Middle School
• Daniel Snyder, SLEO III - Mount Prospect Elementary School
• Brian Stanton, SLEO III - Oak Street Elementary School
• Todd Widitz, SLEO III - Liberty Corner Elementary School

These officers are in addition to District School Resource Officer J.D. Moore who serves at Ridge High School.

All of the new officers met the hiring requirements for the position of Special Law Enforcement Officer III and will serve on a regular, part-time basis, effective Sept. 1 at an hourly rate of $40, with hours to be determined in conjunction with the Board of Education, according to the resolution.

The hiring is part of the Township Committee's agreement with the Bernards Township Board Of Education at the July 27 meeting concerning the placement of a school resource officer and the hiring of special police officer IIIs in each school in the Bernards Township School District.

"This will result in a law enforcement officer at each of our public schools in town," said Mayor Andrew McNally at the July meeting. "Ensuring the safety of those schools is among our highest priorities so I just want to extend my thanks to the Board of Education for working with us in order to effectuate this."

The resolution stated that the Township and the Board of Education "agree that having Special Class III’s Police Officers who are specifically trained for school security is a best practice for the safety and security of the students, faculty, staff, and visitors to District Schools located in Bernards Township."

See Related: Police Officers To Be Stationed At Every Basking Ridge School

Along with the officers, the new school year will kick off with some new leaders in the district including:

• Ridge High School - new Athletic Director, Mike Mancino
• Cedar Hill - new Principal, Krissy Uhler, and new Assistant Principal, Sarah Tompson
• William Annin - Dana Romano as Assistant Principal
• Board of Education office - new Business Administrator, James Rollo

"We have quite a lot going on as we move into another exciting year in the Bernards Township School District," said Superintendent Nick Markarian. "I look forward to another great year with our students, families, and staff!"

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