Outage Continues At Westfield Schools, Mayor Says Safety Systems Remain In Place

WESTFIELD, NJ — As Westfield Public Schools continued to deal with a district-wide phone and network outage this week, Mayor Jeremy Berman told families that emergency communication and school safety systems remain in place.

On Friday, Berman said the situation has been unsettling for families and noted that the school district is handling updates on the outage and restoration work.

"While the district is best positioned to provide updates on its network and restoration efforts, I want to reassure parents that our emergency services teams are prepared and that the systems supporting school safety remain in place," Berman wrote.

Berman said the Westfield Police Department serves as the public safety dispatch point for emergency services in town, including police, fire and EMS.

He added that each Westfield school has a direct way to communicate with the public safety dispatch center that works independently of the telephone system.

According to Berman, that communication capability was established for times when phone service is unavailable, is tested regularly and is routinely used by schools when reporting fire, evacuation and other emergency drills.

Police Chief Christopher Battiloro also assured Berman there were no concerns about a school’s ability to report an emergency during the outage or about public safety teams responding quickly if needed.

The district outage was first reported Tuesday, the first day of school, and continued throughout the week.

The systems affected were internet and Wi-Fi, district and school phone lines, and the student information system, including parent portals, online attendance recording and gradebook access.

Superintendent Raymond Gonzalez said on Wednesday the district’s technology team is working with outside experts to investigate the disruption, and that the investigation remained in its early stages.

"Restoration efforts are continuing, but some services and systems will remain inaccessible until we are confident that they can be safely brought back into service," Gonzalez said Wednesday.

He also addressed school safety during the outage.

"I also want to reassure our families and staff that, despite the disruption to our regular phone and network systems, the district has established procedures in place to maintain internal communication and coordinate an immediate response should an emergency occur,” Gonzalez wrote.

The district said it will provide another update once details on system restoration and reconnection have been verified.

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