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NJ Public Schools: parents and other visitors here may soon have to pass background checks
Staff members may not be the only ones who have to submit to background checks in Marlboro Public Schools – parents and other visitors here may soon have to pass them, too.
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the township a $37,500 Community Oriented Policing Services-Secure Our Schools grant, district officials and legislators said. The approval came on the heels of recent board talks about purchasing a security system that would check visitor backgrounds at all eight district schools.
Marlboro was one of seven communities, including Bayonne and Berkeley Heights Township, to apply for and receive the federal funds, which totaled $530,000. The funds may be used for metal detectors, locks, security systems and other safety measures.
“New Jersey’s students and teachers should never have to worry about their safety in our schools,” said U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), a member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the grant program. (Williams Boyd, Gannett)