Safety Plan at Galloway Schools Was Updated This Year

The Galloway Township School District thoroughly updated its School Safety and Security Plan as of the fall, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Annette Giaquinto stated at the Board of Education’s meeting at the middle school on Monday night, Dec. 17.

Giaquinto made the statement following the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT last Friday.

In that shooting, 26 people were murdered, including 20 children who were either six or seven years old. The identities of the 20 children were released on Sunday.

The school district also posted a message on its website. To read the message, click here.

Giaquinto and Business Administrator Tim Kelley met with a member of the Galloway Township Police Department on Monday afternoon.

“We were taking input to see if there are any additional measures we can take,” Giaquinto said. “We’re going to review things with the board and consult with the police, and see if the government provides additional direction.”

She said the district doesn’t share specifics of emergency protocol with members of the public, but they are known to the administration, and the district is required to conduct several safety drills throughout the year in addition to the ordinary fire drills. This month, the district practiced its lockdown drill.

“We did an excellent job,” Giaquinto said.

Other drills the district practices include tornado drills and active shooter drills, among others.

While the school district held a moment of silence in remembrance of the shootings, the district felt the best way to move on from the shootings was to go about “business as usual,” which included a number of holiday activities, including visits from Santa Claus on Monday.

“Any student still struggling could go to our counselors,” Giaquinto said. “From what I’ve been told, it was mostly a peaceful day, and a quiet day.”

According to Giaquinto, only about a dozen parents called the district either concerned about the shootings or to thank them for keeping their children safe. According to Monday night’s enrollment numbers, there are a total of 3,396 students in the district’s four elementary schools and one middle school.

Giaquinto referenced a Facebook post in which a parent of a Galloway Township student told them not to worry, and the child went through the steps they learned from the school district as to what they should do in the case of an emergency.

“The mom in the post thanked us for that,” Giaquinto said.