Brick Schools Adding To Security Measures: Superintendent

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township School District will be taking a number of steps to make the schools safer in the wake of the Florida school shooting that killed 17 students and staff members on Valentine's Day.

In a letter posted on the district's website, Acting Superintendent Dennis Filippone said the efforts will be both physical and procedural. Some changes will be made immediately, he said.

Among the immediate efforts will be a formal threat assessment of all of the schools, which will be done in conjunction with the Brick Township Police Department, he said. Along with that will be changes to policies and procedures that will restrict access to the schools, he said. Those changes will be announced in the coming months, he said.

The district also has hired Critical Response Group, which is developing a digital map of each school in the district. Those digital maps work with software purchased by the Ocean County Prosecutor's office that allows police and first responders to track both an intruder and police in the building with using GPS technology. That digital mapping is expected to be done by April 1, he said.

The school district has retired police officers who provide security in the district's schools, Filippone said, and the district will be "developing policies that will enhance the officers’ ability to respond in a situation" similar to what happened in Florida.

Funding for physical improvements to the buildings, including security vestibules where they do not currently exist, improvements to doors, security cameras and other security upgrades will be included in the 2018-19 school budget, he said.

As he and Police Chief James Riccio said in interviews with Patch the day after the Florida shooting, the district and police department will be forming a task force of police officers, mental health professionals, and school staff to develop ways for teachers, students, and police to identify students who are at risk and make sure they receive assistance, as well as train teachers and provide information to students on how to recognize the issues. One aspect will include an anonymous reporting system that will all students, parents and school staff to report someone who they feel could be a danger to themselves or others, Filippone said.

"The most important aspect of emergency preparedness is our staff," Filippone said. "We will continue to train them in the most current protocols for dealing with situations that pose a threat to the students and staff of each of the district’s schools."

"I am confident that all of our staff members would respond with professionalism and courage when faced with any crisis," he said.

Filippone said questions can be emailed to him at dfilippone@brickschools.org.

Brick Memorial High School via Google Maps