Tell Us: Should St. Rocco School Review Its Safety Measures?

Of all the things that could be expected on the grounds of a school, this was probably among the strangest: a woman fleeing a car accident running into the school at dismissal time, chased by a police officer.

That's what happened at St. Rocco School on June 7, as a 26-year-old Providence woman leapt past a school staffer and about a half-dozen students at the entrance, then hid in a boys' lavatory stall before surrendering to police.

At the time, groups of students were walking from the school doors with their parents, then crossing Atwood Avenue under the supervision of the school crossing guard. The school staffer — whose identity has not been confirmed — was standing in the doorway of the school with the students, apparently watching for other parents to arrive to get their children.

The woman, identified as Courtney Jean Roderick, led a Johnston Police officer on a foot chase from the intersection of Plainfield Pike and Atwood Avenue to the grounds of St. Rocco Church before running across the front of the school and into the building.

[A Patch Editor was sitting in front of the school at the time and saw the pursuit.]

Johnston Police reports show that Ptlm. Stephen Altomari, identified in police reports as the pursuing officer, suspected Roderick of flushing drugs down the toilet. No drugs were found during a later search at police headquarters.

Later Friday afternoon, the school issued a statement through the Diocese of Providence that said, in part: "The few remaining faculty, staff and students were safe at all times."

Following the incident, Johnston Patch readers offered their thoughts on how Roderick was able to enter the school.

In comments on the update posted on June 11, Mary Celletti wrote:

What bothers me most about this story is that the women [sic] got into the school and a lavatory without notice. Thank god she was running from the cops and that she was not armed to hurt anyone. I guess we will never learn.

And RI Patriot added:

This school, being run by the Catholic Diocese, nothing will happen to the principal who neglected to maintain security in her school. There will be no accountability just like what we have seen in the past on other issues. Shameful, only months after a school tragedy and the doors were not secured. Maybe someone will blame the car she was driving or the hypodermic needle caps she had in her possession for the incident.

Followers of the Johnston Patch Facebook page also weighed into the debate, with Nicole Andrews noting: "I think I am more concerned that the school was not locked."

Rich DiPonte asked: "why was the school door not secured????????" to which Kristen Marks Raposa answered:

Because they were in the middle of letting the kids out for pick up to there [sic] moms and dads....St. Rocco is a great school. They do everything to keep the kids safe....this could of [sic] happened anywhere......

In response to a follow-up question about a possible review of its security measures, the school issued the following statement: "St. Rocco School employs many measures to ensure the safety of its students. All schools should regularly assess their safety plans to ensure student safety."

What do you think?

Was there any way that St. Rocco School could have prevented Roderick from running into the building?

Do you think it was a serious enough incident that the school should review and possibly update its security measures?

Have your say in the comments section below.