As the letter below from Tuscan School principal Malikah Majeed indicates, the reporter, NBC's Jeff Rossen, pressed the front door call box, was given access, but did not report to the office and proceeded elsewhere in the school. He was later found and told the school he was a reporter seeking to prove access was easy.
Jeff Rossen |
Two other letters, also below, from Tuscan PTA President Alan Stephenson were sent in an attempt to respond to worried parents. They also indicate a school safety committee meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Tuscan to try to address the problems with such easy access.
All related letters are below:
TUSCAN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Office of the Principal
25
Harvard Avenue
Maplewood New Jersey
07040
Malikah Tamar
Majeed, Principal 973-378-5221
December 5,
2013
Dear Tuscan Family~
Dear Tuscan Family~
I wish to extend my thanks to the
Tuscan community of students, teachers, support staff and parents for a highly
successful 59 days of school. This school year began with such enthusiasm,
energy and our resolve to make the best learning experiences possible for each
and every student. We look forward to continuing our positive interactions with
parents throughout this school year.
Please know that the safety of
our students and staff is our highest priority. Today a reporter for NBC
visited a number of different schools in Essex County, including Tuscan School,
as part of a story they are producing on school safety. Rather than following the standard protocol
of reporting to the office upon arrival to sign in, the reporter proceeded
immediately and without hesitation in the direction opposite the main office.
Office staff quickly began a search when the visitor did not report to the
office, and intercepted him already returning to the office. Upon signing in,
he identified himself as a reporter, and requested a meeting with the principal
regarding a news story about schools. He
also provided a driver’s license and contact information to the office staff,
upon request, prior to exiting the building.
routine basis. The school
administration was deeply concerned by this irregularity and immediately took
action to investigate the incident. Our subsequent investigation revealed that
the investigative reporter was in fact seeking information for a story that is
scheduled for broadcast next week. Information about the intended broadcast
will be shared as it becomes available.
The safety of our students and
staff is our highest priority. Moving forward, as we continue to reinforce our
established safety practices, we ask for your partnership and cooperation in
contributing to the overall security of Tuscan School. Please help us in the following ways:
Ø
Know that our school must remain locked at all
times.
Ø
Unauthorized visitors are prohibited, and
cameras monitor all who enter our building.
Ø
Visitors at any time during the day are to only
enter the school through the main entrance on Harvard Avenue. While this may be an inconvenience for some
visitors, it is an essential step to secure the building.
Ø
When at the front door buzzing in, please
announce your name and purpose for visiting to the front office staff. Be
patient if clarifying questions are asked.
Ø Please
do not hold open the door for other visitors. Each visitor must announce themselves and state their purpose.
Ø
All visitors at any time during the day MUST to report directly to the front
office. Once there, you are to sign in,
announce your intention, and wait for direction. This procedure does not change
afterschool.
Should you have questions about
this incident or our security procedures, please reach out to me or Mr. Mason
directly via email, phone or in person. Please know that Tuscan School
administration is committed to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of
Tuscan’s children in every possible way.
Sincerely,
Ms. Majeed
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
|
4 comments:
Home schooling, online classes conducted by teachers working from home and the closing of gun shops will help us all.
The reporter agreed to not use school name for safety reasons - be sure to remove it at once from this article.
this lack of security is at all somsd schools, except the high school. you can walk anywhere in the school. rossen, who lives in livingston, probably has seen this first hand
it all over the web that it was Tuscan school, it won't do any good to remove it here...
Post a Comment