SOS from parents answered by BOE, PD
Secure Our Schools (SOS) grant put toward notification system
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK- Because of a lack of communication during a lockdown situation lastApril, the township Board of Education and police department decided to implement an emergency notification system in town to provide immediate information to parents.

Around the time of the lockdown, in which a message was left on the high school principal's answering machine threatening to "shoot up" the school, the police department was looking into their third round of the federal Secure Our Schools (SOS) grant. Previously the funding went toward Internet-accessible cameras for the schools, and this time the application, written by Judith Delanoy, the administrative secretary to the Department of Public Safety, asked for an emergency notification system, additional school cameras and metal-detecting wands.

"It was a serious concern of people that they needed real-time answers or updates," Schools Superintendent Brian Zychowski said.

"The number-one priority we took out … was that the notification process had failed. People felt they weren't getting information quickly and some of the people didn't know what was happening," former Police Director Kenneth McCormick said.

When the funding was approved in September, the $84,000 grant, with a match from the Board of Education, allowed the purchase of the notification system, 36 hand wands, 50 additional indoor cameras and 50 additional outdoor cameras. In addition, the police department purchased about 15 more metal-detecting wands on its own.

"I think society has changed, and I believe each year it's revealed to us that we need to be connected to parents- one, because of safety issues in the world today, and two, because the schools play such an increased role as an outlet for children, so many things we provide during the school day and after the school day need live, social, instantaneous messaging," Zychowski said. "Especially when dealing with their children, I can't think of a better way to ensure everyone receives accurate … messaging other than a system like this."

Zychowski, who implemented a similar system in his former school district, and Martin Schneider, the district's coordinator of technology, are responsible for the dissemination of information. A message is recorded and sent over the Internet to the selected company's data centers in Colorado and California, and then are sent to parents' cell, work and home phone numbers, according to Schneider. About 5,200 messages are sent out in 15 minutes.

"That kind of speed, that kind of delivery is just unbelievable," Zychowski said.

Schneider said there are 60 lines off the main Board of Education number, so multiple messages are sent out at once. The system loops around to retry lines with a busy tone or no answering machine. If someone calls the number, a prerecorded message will be set up to relay the same information as the recorded message initially being sent out.

Thus far, the system was tested in early December and was used to notify parents about a situation at the high school where a teacher was arrested for allegedly having relations with a student, as well as less serious incidents such as school closings and weather matters.

In the future, the superintendent hopes to have text message and e-mail capability, and he would like to send out phone surveys, as well as develop messages in Spanish. The hope is to also involve the township in the program for a more widespread dispersement of information.

"This helps in calming a situation immediately and diffusing it. The last time, we had parents who were unsure, so they bogged down the phone lines and called the school … so I think the best thing about all of this is that we can hit e-mail, cell phones, home phones, pagers so it's instant notification," said acting Deputy Police Chief Joseph Battaglia. "[Parents] feel more secure knowing they are immediately notified and getting the right information."

To additionally combat miscommunication in the future, Zychowski said the school district, the police department, the mayor's office and county organizations will work together to ensure the safest procedures for all students, faculty and staff members.

"We are working as a group, so we're not just working in isolation," he said. "We will utilize each other's expertise. … By working together, we really will ensure the optimum safe environment."