After Scare, N.J. District to Staff Police at Every School
The township expects to spend up to $500,000 on the officers once a permanent deal is reached.
A New Jersey school district has announced it will be staffing a police officer in each of its schools through the end of the year after an incident scared local residents and school administrators last week.
The agreement was reached between the Evesham Township School District and township officials as a short-term solution to school security, according to nj.com.
Officials will continue to negotiate a longer term agreement for the district’s nine schools and expect to reach an arrangement before students return from the upcoming winter break.
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The school security talks were sparked by the sighting of a teen outside an elementary school building holding a replica gun on Dec. 7. Police were called to the scene and Van Zant Elementary School was locked down. A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody in the incident and charged. While being arrested the boy reportedly told officers he wanted to force the police to shoot him in an apparent suicide attempt.
For the time being Evesham Township police officers will be taken off normal patrol duties to work at the schools and will be paid for with the district’s operating budget.
Evesham Mayor Randy Brown said he hopes to have a permanent contract in place by 2016 and estimated it would cost the township between $400,000 and $500,000.
The Evesham Township School District has seven elementary schools and two middle schools.
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