Future School Safety Discussed At Chatham Board Of Education Meeting

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham Board of Education discussed upcoming school safety measures in response to the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, at its final meeting for the school year.

According to Chatham Superintendent Michael LaSusa, the district is hiring Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO) for the upcoming school year at all Chatham Elementary Schools.

"We have spent millions of dollars trying to ensure that we are as protected and safe as we can be for our staff and our students. Most recently we have been detailing in these meetings the investments we are making in mental health resources for students, which is a critical component," LaSusa said.

SLEOs are now present on campus at all Chatham schools, grades 4 through 12. In response to the Uvalde shooting, LaSusa stated that he has spoken with the police chief about placing Class 3 officers in all pre-kindergarten through third-grade schools.

Jill Critchley Weber, President of the Chatham Board of Education, addressed the issue further, confirming that the current security details in place at all Chatham schools will remain in place until the new SLEO hiring process is completed.

Webber went on to say that having Class 3 officers on campus provides additional security benefits. "The biggest advantage is the fact that they have radios that go directly to the local law enforcement. If there is an incident for example in the L wing, they can immediately say there is an active situation in the L wing, the rest of the building can just lock down and stay in place and they can address it right there versus somebody calling 911 and it going to the county dispatch... the response time is really critical."

Read more: Chatham Will Place Additional Armed Police Officers In Schools

Chatham Township Mayor Ashley Felice previously stated that she is working with Chief of Police Tom Miller to develop a school safety plan for all Chatham teachers, administrators, staff, volunteers and students.

In addition to more armed officers in the schools, the safety plan calls for officers to visit each school, including Chatham Day School, at least three times.

“We can get security officers, and we can have drills”, board member Michelle Clark, said. “And I think so many times people say, 'I never thought it’d be here,' that is the first thing people say so I think we need to dig deep, I think we need to come together and I think we need to ask what we can do differently now, because this is something that has to change, and it has to change now."