Safety and Procedures at Pequannock

On the afternoon of February 14th, 2018 fourteen students and three educators at Stoneman Douglas High School were gunned down by nineteen year-old assailant, Nikolas Cruz. Many people including some of the students turned to social media to express the importance of gun control. Many also stressed the importance of executing the security drills as if they were real. Since then, schools all over the nation have been reviewing security drills and scenarios that are more and more likely to happen.

Here at PTHS, we were fortunate enough to have had grade level meetings with our Director of security, Mr. Ron Lucas, accompanied by School Resource Officer, Detective Steve Cicchetti. Lucas and Cicchetti reviewed important security drills, along with what to do and not to do during these drills, and gave the audience an opportunity to state their questions, comments, or concerns.

Delaney Reynolds, Junior at PTHS, gave her input about the meeting:“I thought this meeting was absolutely necessary in order to ensure our safety and security of our school. It made us realized that things like this can happen and we need to always be prepared.” Many others also expressed that it was very beneficial for the students and faculty to be aware of what is going on during these situations.

Following this meeting we spoke to the head of security, Mr. Ron Lucas, who was eager to answer our questions. He informed us that there are many new procedures and steps being taken to add more strict security to our school.

How can we make the students feel safer? What ​new procedures is PTHS taking to make the students feel safer?

Students feel safer when you include them in the process. It shows them that we value their input and lets them know how serious we are about security. We recently held grade-wide assemblies to address students concerns regarding national events. It was also an excellent opportunity to go over our security drills. The feedback I received was tremendous. We are also always working to incorporate technology into our security program. Items such as cameras and radios have been updated. Building protection devices have been added and I'm fortunate to have a great crew of retired law enforcement officers working in the district.

What do you think should be the biggest change to our ​present ​safety procedure​s​?

I am always researching products and training material that can help keep our schools safe. Following "Best Practice" recommendations from organizations such as the Department of Education and Homeland Security, to name a few, helps guide our policies and procedures. So we have a very sound Safety and Security plan in place. I would love to have more security personnel throughout the district. More eyes and ears, especially from trained law enforcement, is always beneficial.

What is your general ​opinion on teachers or security guards being armed?

Being armed is a tremendous responsibility. The security guards in our district, myself included, are ex-law enforcement officers who are intimately familiar with the training and laws that govern a "Carry Permit.” We must also continue to train to stay proficient. Our teachers have one the most important jobs in the world, to help our kids learn and grow. Right now I think that should be their priority.