The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
\the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Newark NJ, Governor Phil Murphy this morning unveiled what he described as the most significant “gun violence prevention package in the history of the nation.”
Continue reading Governor Phil Murphy “Gun Violence Prevention” Fail
March 1,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock’s Superintendent and BOE passed this resolution March 14th, the day of the 17 minute student walkout. Ridgewood Schools matched the virtue signaling ,but stopped short of endorsing the walkout.
Be it resolved by the Glen Rock Board of Education that the Board, upon
recommendation of the Chief School Administrator, approves the following resolution:
WHEREAS , A prerequisite to student growth, learning, well-being and success is a safe and secure school environment; and
WHEREAS, Children throughout the nation have been negatively affected directly and indirectly by violent crimes involving firearms; and
WHEREAS, Military-style assault weapons and large-volume ammunition
magazines were used in recent mass killings in schools and other locations; and
WHEREAS, Profiles of school shooters illustrate the need for a thorough examination of the care and treatment of the mentally ill and for effective intervention;
WHEREAS, The New Jersey School Boards Association’s 2014 study, What Makes Schools Safe?, cited reports by state and federal agencies, which found that mental health intervention did not take place prior to three-quarters of school shootings; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey has among the strongest gun control laws in the nation and the lowest incidence of gun-related deaths, but protective laws are not in place in many other states or at the federal level; and
WHEREAS, The tragedies of Parkland, Florida, of Newtown, Connecticut, of
Columbine High School in Colorado, emphasize the need to address access to firearms and the delivery of mental health services. Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Glen Rock Board of Education, in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey, urges President Trump and Congress to identify and implement meaningful action to address access to and ownership of military-style assault weapons and ammunition, the delivery of mental health services, and financial support to ensure a safe and secure school climate; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Glen Rock Board of Education supports Governor Murphy’s call to end the “epidemic of gun violence that plagues far too many of our communities” and supports enhancements to state law that will provide protection for our schools and communities; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to President Trump, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer, Governor Murphy, State Senator Robert Gordon, Assembly Representative Timothy Eustace, Assembly Representative Joseph Lagana, the New Jersey School Boards Association, the National School Boards Association, Bergen County School Boards, Bergen County Association of School Administrators, Bergen County Association of School Business Officials, and the New Jersey Education Association.
February 17, 2018
Office of Mayor William Laforet
As the Mayor of the Mahwah Township, I am greatly troubled that neither the Township Council or myself were ever apprised of the threat made by an eighth-grade student several months ago concerning a Township school facility. The Mayor and the Township Council need to be immediately apprised of any and all potential threats concerning our Township and its schools to ensure that swift and appropriate action is always taken. Moreover, the Township residents deserve to be timely notified of any such threats concerning the safety of their children. Our residents deserve better.
To prevent this lack of timely notification from occurring again, as the Mayor I am asking the Chief of Police to immediately notify myself and the Township Council of any and all threats involving the Township Schools. I have also requested that the Chief of Police immediately assign a uniformed, armed patrol officer to each of our Township schools when school is in session to ensure the safely of the students and staff. The presence of an armed uniformed patrol officer in a marked police car at each of the schools will act as a deterrent and provide immediate response time should a threat be made against any school facility in the interim, this will result in additional police overtime costs being incurred, but so be it. Our residents, students and District personnel deserve to be safe when attending the Township schools.
I am also calling on the Mahwah Township Board of Education and the Superintendent to immediately enter into a shared service agreement wit the Township to defray the costs of having a uniformed, armed patrol officer at each of our Township schools to ensure the safety of our students and District personnel. I will be recommending to the Township Council that we waive any administrative costs associated with such assignment to help defray the District’s expense.
We have all witnessed far too many horrific acts of violence against school children throughout our nation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those families, students and staff who are grieving as a result of these senseless and horrific acts of violence. The highest priority of government is to protect its citizens. As the Mayor, I am committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to protect our students and District staff when attending Mahwah Township Schools.
It is imperative that whenever anyone learns of a potential safety threat that they immediately notify the Mahwah Township Police Department and the Mahwah Township School District. As a community, we all have to remain vigilant and work together to ensure the safety of our students and District personnel. Always remember that “if you see something, say something.” Working together, we can prevent any senseless tragedy from occurring in the Township of Mahwah.
Mayor Bill Laforet
“Gun violence” is not “becoming” anything. Rather, it’s down — and dramatically: National rates of gun homicide and other violent gun crimes are strikingly lower now than during their peak in the mid-1990s, paralleling a general decline in violent crime, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data.
