
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Twp. of Washington NJ, twice in the past two months, Westwood Regional High School has experienced security alert-triggered lockdowns that prompted immediate police response. Both incidents turned out to be false alarms, causing significant stress and frustration for parents, students, and staff.
Schools Superintendent Jill Mortimer has addressed these concerns, assuring the community that the district has identified and is addressing the malfunction in the school’s security system to prevent future occurrences.
“I want to extend a sincere apology to the students, parents, staff, and first responders who were affected by these extremely stressful events,” Mortimer stated . “No one should have to go through that trauma.”
Upgraded Security System to Be Replaced
The false alarms occurred on April 16 and May 2 at the high school located on Ridgewood Road in Washington Township. The district, serving students from Washington Township and Westwood, had upgraded its security system and hardware on February 29. Despite this upgrade, the first false alarm in April led to another replacement of the hardware.
After the second false alarm in May, a thorough investigation by the system’s contractor revealed a wiring problem, which has since been fixed. However, to ensure complete reliability, Westwood Regional is seeking alternatives to the current security system and plans to implement a new system by the start of the next school year.
Mortimer noted that the cost of the replacement system is still unknown.
Investigating the Lockdowns
In light of these incidents, Mortimer met with Lou Cammarata, a special investigator and regional planner with the state Education Department’s Office of School Preparedness & Emergency Planning, to discuss the situation. Cammarata also consulted with local police chiefs and school staff about best practices in school security and will provide training for school staff in September.
The first lockdown on April 16 at 11:07 a.m. saw Washington Township police and nearby law enforcement responding to the alarm. Although the system was suspected to have malfunctioned, police conducted a precautionary sweep of the building. Students were dismissed early at 12:50 p.m. as the investigation continued.
The second lockdown on May 2 occurred at 7:43 a.m. due to another system error. Police from Washington Township, Westwood, and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene. In a news release, the district extended apologies to the community for the recurrence of the false alarm.
“We extend our deepest apologies to the community for this recurrence in a short time from the previous incident,” Mortimer said.
The district is committed to resolving the security issues and ensuring the safety and peace of mind for students, parents, and staff moving forward.
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