Milburn Schools And Security: Personnel, Drills, Training

MILLBURN, NJ — Did you miss the presentation on school security during last week’s Board of Education meeting? Superintendent Christine Burton has you covered.

As part of her email superintendent roundup on March 2, Burton recapped the highlights of the meeting, during which Millburn School Director of Security Mike Palardy and Millburn Police Detective Ed de la Fuente shared information regarding safety and security measures in the district.

“We are planning to have administrators/BOE members at upcoming PTO meetings to answer questions about security and safety concerns that you may have,” Burton wrote. “Additionally, here is an FAQ of recently asked questions and answers that will be updated as more information becomes available. If you have questions on this topic, please send them to webmaster@millburn.org, and we will add them to this list.”

Burton said that increasing security within the school district is a top priority.

“See something, say something,’ is more than just a saying,” Burton wrote. “It is a responsibility that every one of us has in our community. We all play a role in keeping our students safe. I encourage any parent/guardian with concerns about safety to contact your building principal, the Director of Security or me.”

The following information comes via Burton’s superintendent update.

Security Personnel:

· Middle School: Mr. Paul Cuomo is the security guard. He is a retired Millburn Police officer who was part of the Traffic Bureau stationed by the MS. He is very familiar with the school and the traffic patterns having spent a good deal of time in his former role. He often stays later as needed for afternoon programs.

· High School: Mr. Kim Chapman and Mr. Bernie Neuhaus are the security guards. Mr. Chapman was a former Chief of Police in Florham Park. He has 35 years of service as a police officer. Mr. Neuhaus is a retired captain from the Millburn Police Department. He has 25 years of service in law enforcement as well as military experience.

Safety and Security Drills:

· We conduct at least 20 safety, security, and fire drills at each of our schools per year. Drills are repeated if there are any concerns with the effectiveness of how they are implemented.

· The Millburn police are also involved in the drills to observe and offer feedback.

· Drills are performed during various times of the day and week to simulate all possible schedules and events that could be taking place during an actual emergency. (i.e. during lunch, gym, change of classes, etc.).

· The Millburn Police and Fire Dept. have planned drills in our schools on a regular basis to gain a familiarity with the footprint of our schools in the event of an emergency.

Training:

· We have a district-wide crisis response team, to serve as both a source of information and a vehicle through which direct communications can be delivered to schools in an event of an emergency. These include administrators and staff members from each of our schools.

· Our Director of Security and district security guards attend multiple trainings annually to keep current on strategies and resources on state-of-the-art security. These have included trainings from administrators and law enforcement officers involved with incidents in Sandy Hook, Columbine and other school shootings around the country.

· We train all staff, substitutes, and lunch aides on our security protocols to be sure everyone in our schools know the procedures in the event of an emergency.

Partnerships:

· We have close relationships with the Millburn Police and Fire departments, along with the Office of Emergency Management. The response from our first responders has been outstanding, and we have forged an even stronger partnership to safeguard our children, staff and schools.

· Parents and community members are excellent partners in sharing of information and concerns.

· LEPC: Local Emergency Planning Council - Mr. Edmundo and Mr. Palardy and I are part of this council that includes the Millburn Police, Fire and OEM, as well as local, county and state Emergency Service representatives, government representatives and local business stakeholders.

Resources:

· We have provided all principals and assistant principals with 24/7 access to live video feeds of district security cameras. The police and fire departments have live access to these video feeds as well.

· We update our Emergency Operations Plan manual and our MOA with the local and county law enforcement annually, or sooner as needed, to ensure efficacy, timeliness and thoroughness.

· Ballistic tint: Ballistic tint has been installed on all of the first floor windows in our schools.

· Lanyards: We equip all staff and substitutes with a lanyard that includes an ID, security drill procedures and emergency numbers.

· Radios: Our schools have multiple hand-held radios that are used throughout the school, every day.

· Shades/magnets/security straps: We utilize shades, magnetic strips and egress straps on our classroom windows and doors as part of our security systems to quickly secure and hide students and staff from view.

· Intercom system: We have intercom systems to announce procedures in the event of an emergency situation. These are currently being upgraded as part of the referendum projects.

Going forward:

District leaders met this week to review building procedures, to reiterate protocols with staff, and to ensure we are consistently enforcing and enhancing security measures.

Some measures have already been strengthened, or are currently under review:

· All doors are locked when school is in session.

· Limiting visitor access to the building, unless there is an appointment

· Limiting the number of doors open for school entry before school hours

· Securing our schools after school hours

· Securing our schools during various events/securing halls

· Signage for cameras around the school

· Swipe cards at the elementary schools

· Buzzer system at the Ed Center

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File Photo: Millburn Public Schools