What to Know
- The entire school district of East Brunswick in New Jersey has voted to allow armed guards to be stationed outside all of its 11 schools
- The new security measures are welcomed by some, while others think the idea of guns at schools is not what they want students learning
- The new tactics rolling out come in the wake of the deadly Florida high school shooting that raddled the county last week
An entire school district in New Jersey has voted to roll out new security measures in the wake of the deadly Florida high school shooting, and now there are additional calls from other districts in the Garden State for similar tactics.
All 11 schools in the East Brunswick district will soon start to see armed police officers stationed outside. However, some people say the idea of having guns at schools is not what they want students learning while others say they want to see security changes at their district.
“It’s the same thing as fighting fire with fire,” eighth-grader Ray Leybovich said. “It’s not going to help.”
Her mother adding, “I’m not happy about guns all together.”
On Thursday, a day after a gunman opened fire inside a Florida high school, killing 17 people and injuring 15 others, the East Brunswick school board voted to post armed guards outside all entrances. The next day a high schooler there was arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats while all Nutley schools were closed Friday after what officials described as a “security threat” after an alarming video was posted online.
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That threat was enough for one mother to craft a letter to leaders requesting armed guards for schools in Nutley.
“It was scary. It was paralyzing,” Erica Zarro said. “If we can’t stop insane people from having guns then have a sane person there to protect them.”
Nutley schools, which are on break this week, have not responded to NBC 4 New York for comment.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Mahway, Bill Laforet, posted on Facebook Monday saying he wants armed officers at schools in his town. Leaders there were criticized last week for not clearly notifying parents about a threat made in November to shoot up a middle school there on Friday.
Mahwah officials say there is no threat, but officers will be stationed at the school on Friday as a precaution.
