Walker School Lockdown: Protecting Our Students
• Nutley Police, Educators Join in Exhaustive Security Plan
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Lock-Down Evaluation: The professional team of police officers include (front row l-r) Officer Nick Nieri, Lt. Robert Irwin, Capt. Tom Strumolo and Detective Mike Padilla and (in top row) Sgt. Ken Watson. Wearing white shirts (l-r) are Police Chief John Holland and Public Safety Commissioner Alphonse Petracco.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Detective Mike Padilla (left) confers with school security personnel Nattie Ferrara and Jean Boly as the lockdown inspection proceeded at the Walker Middle School.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Nattie Ferrara, resource officer for Nutley Schools, confers with Police Chief John Holland during yesterday's lockdock inspection. Also seen here are Superintendent of Schools Joseph Zara and Public Safety Commissioner Alphonse Petracco.
Jun 11, 2010 – "There are 650 pre-teenagers in the building right this minute and yet while listening carefully, we're unable to hear any sound at all," principal John Calicchio said as a team of police and school officials were ending a 32-minute "lock down" at the Walker Middle School Thursday morning.
"Lock downs" are carefully orchestrated procedures adopted and practiced in the aftermath of the horror experienced when deranged and armed persons attacked places like Columbine High School in Colorado where a massacre killing resulted in the death of 12 students and a teacher.
The drill began yesterday at 10 a.m. at the Walker School. By 10:02 a.m., a team led by police and school security personnel began evaluating the effectiveness of the "lockdown" procedures which have been practiced and evaluated many times at the school.
As the group walked down the halls, there was complete silence.
Try entering any of the classrooms only to discover that all the doors were locked.
Try peaking thru any one of the the glass pane doors and only an empty room full of empty chairs and desks could be seen. (The pupils and their teachers were in those rooms but hiding in such a way that they couldn't be seen from the hallway door.)
"It's refreshing to know that a plan is in place with the common goal of keeping our children safe," Public Safety Commissioner Alphonse Petracco said as the drill was ending.
All went perfect today but there still were some weaknesses that need to be addressed.
Schools Superintendent Joseph Zara cited one recent incident when a drill was called while a physical education class was in session on the Park Oval. When those pupils reported back to the Walker School, they discovered that a real bomb scare was in progress.
"We have to look at procedures to account for students who are outside the school building, whether it be on the Park Oval or at one of the nearby playgrounds," Zara said.
The experts on security matters and in developing improved procedures included members of the Nutley detective bureau including Sgt. Ken Watson who heads the police department's professional student emergency unit, and Nattie Ferrara, the full-time security officer for the school system, and Jean Boly, the school system's resource officer.
Oversight surveillance and a thorough review of yesterday's drill will be developed by the police detective team that includes Lt. Robert Irwin, Capt. Tom Strumolo, and Dectective Mike Padillar.
Deputy Fire Chief P, Cafone and Fire Chief Phil Nicolette, also a Board of Education employee, are assisting in the critique of today's drill.
At 10:32 a.m. Friday, Walker School Principal returned to his office, pushed a button and announced over an address system reaching every classroom that the lockdown drill was over.
Classes resumed but it was not just another day at school. It was a day to be remembered, and a day that will be practiced again.
[Factual corrections including the spelling of names may be emailed to news@njhometown.com. Corrections will be made promptly.]
