Superintendent: No Student Or Staff Member Were In Danger During Incident Thursday

Editor’s note: The following is a letter from Ridgewood Superintendent Daniel Fishbein and Chief of Police John Ward regarding the incident at Travell Elementary School Thursday.

“Dear Ridgewood Public Schools community,

At approximately 1 p.m. this afternoon, I was informed by Travell School Principal Margaret Leininger that a student had witnessed a male with a gun outside the school building. The Ridgewood Police were immediately notified and on the scene within minutes as the school went into lockdown.

As a preventive measure, due to the proximity of Benjamin Franklin Middle School to Travell, BFMS was also put on lockdown.

The police responded to Travell School and took control, performing a thorough search of the building, grounds and neighborhood. They also viewed the school’s surveillance video and interviewed the student witness. From the surveillance video, the police determined that the person described by the student was a parent picking up his child. The parent was holding a cell phone.

It is important to emphasize that no Travell student or staff member was in danger at any time during this incident.

I am pleased with the response of the principal and staff, and also with the quick and effective response from our administrative team and especially the police. I am also grateful that our students know to come forward when they feel there is a potential problem.

Please be assured that I will always take every appropriate action to protect the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff.

Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely, Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

John Ward Chief, Ridgewood Police Department”