Westfield School Doors Should Be Locked At All Times: Volunteer

WESTFIELD, NJ - In the wake of the arrest of an armed man in the parking lot of Tamaques School Thursday afternoon a parent-volunteer has started a petition to ensure that the building doors are locked at all times.

Thomas J. Wilkie of Bear, Del. was arrested and charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets, and fourth-degree trespassing on school grounds, according to acting Union County Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport.

Megan Brenan said she regularly volunteers at the school and the incident should serve as a wake-up call for Westfield residents. According to Brenan, when Wilkie was arrested in the parking lot armed with a handgun, children there for after school activities were in the building. Brenan said that is a time when the front door is typically unlocked.

"All Westfield, NJ school doors must be locked AT ALL TIMES," Brenan wrote on her petition page. "Keeping the school doors locked during the day is a no-brainer, and so why isn't that the case after school? There is currently nothing to stop someone from entering the school and doing harm after regular school hours."

Brenan's petition is looking for signatures with the hopes of using it to urge the Westfield Board of Education to review the after-hours security policies and keep our school doors locked at all times.

"There is nothing more important than our children's safety," Brenan wrote.

A spokesperson for the Westfield School District told Patch that changes will be immediate.

“The school doors at Tamaques will remain locked at all times through the end of the school year as we review our security protocols going forward,” she said.

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