The South Orange – Maplewood School District will host a Security Forum for the community on Monday, May 16 from 7:30-9 p.m. at 525 Academy Street, Maplewood.
The SOM Board of Education, Administration, and officials and public safety officers from the Township of Maplewood and the Village of South Orange will be in attendance.
The forum will be broadcast live on CCN (35 in Maplewood, 19 in South Orange and 22 on FIOS) and available livestream.
On the agenda:
- A comprehensive update about how the district approaches security, including:
- Safety protocols
- Preventive measures
- Promoting social and emotional wellbeing of students
- Possibility of adding a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Columbia High School.
At the April Board of Education meeting, Beth Daugherty, who chairs the Finance & Facilities committee, said SRO’s have been successfully used in other districts, and has been “implemented well in this district in the past.”
Read more about SRO’s here, and here.
A successful plan will depend on a partnership between the municipalities and the schools, said Daugherty, that addresses the “overall climate” so that it is not just about safety and security but also about “the socio-emotional health of students.”
A plan for security in the schools will be brought to the BOE at the June meeting.
