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Parent raises shelter-in-place concerns; board says officer-in-school option under active consideration
Summary
A parent described confusion during a shelter-in-place drill for a six-year-old and urged the district to station a police officer in school; board members said the question is under active discussion and pledged to review the reported drill details.
A parent told the Oradell Public School District board that a recent shelter-in-place drill left his 6-year-old confused about where to go and asked whether the district will place a police officer in the elementary school.
Brendan O'Brien, a parent who said he has children in the district, described the drill in detail and said his daughter was told to move between rooms and at one point encountered a locked classroom door. "She then had to go back to the room she originally went to...it seems like she was never in a hallway alone," O'Brien said, adding that "why we don't have a police officer in this school boggles my mind." He urged the board to consider funding an on-site officer even if it raised each households cost by $30 to $50 annually.
Board reaction and follow-up: board members told O'Brien the presence of a school resource officer (SRO) or on-site retired officer has been an active, ongoing discussion among parents, administrators and trustees and that parents should expect to hear a proposal this year. The board also committed to review the specific shelter-in-place protocol O'Brien reported and to report back after that review.
Why it matters: parents and board members described two competing community positions: one group favors an on-site officer for immediate tactical response; another group opposes weapons on campus and prefers alternative security measures. Administrators noted the district has invested in hardened lobbies, steel doors, 4K cameras, timed-entry sensors, and annual security audits and said proximity to the borough police station is a factor in response planning.
Next step: the board said a public safety meeting with police leadership, parents and administration is planned (date not specified), and that the district will follow up on the reported drill details.
Attribution note: public comments and quoted passages are drawn from the meeting transcript and attributed to the speakers who made them.
