Two Special School Officers To Be Assigned In Fair Haven

FAIR HAVEN, NJ — In a letter to the community, the Fair Haven school district explained how, for the first time, the district's two schools will each employ Special Law Enforcement Officers on site for the new school year.

School begins Sept. 5, and Superintendent Sean McNeil said the decision is "a logical and prudent step representative of our commitment to ensuring the safety of our students and staff which is, and always will be, our number one priority."

In the district, the Viola L. Sickles School serves Pre-K through 3rd-grade students; the Knollwood School serves 4th through 8th grades.

McNeil said this is the first time the district is employing the armed school officers, and the goal is to have one officer at each school each day.

"We recognize that welcoming armed Special Law Enforcement Officers as a daily presence at our schools may feel strange for some, and may feel like an absolute necessity to others," he said in the letter.

He said the officers' roles will not involve any student disciplinary concerns, but are focused on keeping students and staff safe.

The hiring of the officers came about from a shared services agreement with Fair Haven Borough, McNeil said.

"Projected costs for this new service to the school community is estimated to be approximately $180,000 this year, with the shared service agreement establishing that the school district will pay for 75 percent of the services and the borough funding the remaining 25 percent of the costs," McNeil said.

The district will set up a community presentation early in the school year regarding the new officers and other information about school safety.

You can see the full letter at the district website here, and you can also check there for the date of the community presentation when it is determined.

McNeil said the Borough Council, the Board of Education and the Police Department all collaborated on the plan for the district.

The letter to the community came from McNeil, Mayor Josh Halpern, Board of Education President Geri Albin Pagano, and Borough Administrator Theresa Casagrande.

In the letter, McNeil notes:

"Over the years, we have worked diligently to upgrade our school facilities with the latest state of the art enhancements designed to keep our students and staff safe. We have also engaged in rigorous training and comprehensive security audits to ensure that our emergency protocols are as sound and efficient as possible. This recent decision to bolster our school security through the presence of law enforcement personnel is an additional layer of protection."

He said the officers "will not be tasked with addressing any student disciplinary issues or concerns. Such responsibilities will continue to rest with our dedicated school staff and administration.

"Our newly appointed officers are here to support our ability to keep our staff as well as our community’s most cherished treasures, our children, safe."