Extra Security Continues For Chatham Schools, Board Offices Following Fox News Attention

CHATHAM, NJ— Increased police presence will continue at Chatham Middle School through Tuesday at a minimum, Superintendent Michael LaSusa said at a Board of Education meeting.

The safety measures are precautionary at this point, LaSusa said, and done out of an abundance of caution. TapInto Chatham first reported on the meeting. Chatham has seen an increase in national attention following a Fox News segment highlighting its' inclusion of Islam in the Word Cultures and Geography course.

"We have no reason to believe that students are unsafe. If we did, we would make additional arrangements or take further steps," LaSusa said (you can watch a video, taken by TapInto Chatham, below). "Out of an abundance of precaution we've had some additional police presence anytime some of us, like me personally, have been receiving messages or phone calls that are inappropriate. But we have no reason to believe there is any threat or unsafe condition for our students. If we did, we would take more dramatic measures."

As of March 20, the Chatham Board of Education has spent $6,800 on increased security following two mother's appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show on Fox News.

"The additional police presence was due directly to the false statements made on national television, which then got middle America all riled up and sending threatening, violent, vulgar, either messages, packages, emails, voicemails, so we needed some additional police presence here at the central office and also at the middle school," Board President Jill Critchley Weber said at a March 20 meeting.

Libby Hilsenrath and Nancy Gayer appeared on the show in February to discuss the inclusion of Islam in the the middle school's world culture and geography course, as Patch previously reported. They said the religion was given disproportionate attention and school officials would not discuss the subject with them. The superintendent said in a statement all religions were discussed equally, and that after "hours meeting or corresponding with certain parents" it was "no longer productive."

The pair have since hired Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan-based conservative nonprofit law firm that tries to "preserve America’s Judeo-Christian heritage" to represent them. A representative for the law firm previously told Patch "the next steps remain confidential."

You can watch their Fox News segment here:

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