School violence gets focus of attention during week
BY ELANA ARON
Correspondent

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - The Board of Education passed a resolution at its Oct. 10 meeting acknowledging the week of Oct. 16 as School Violence Awareness Week.

The state Department of Education designated this week in conjunction with National Safety Month in January 2002.

Freehold Township schools have planned a variety of events, including activities and programs focusing on tolerance and resolving conflicts, and safety demonstrations and instruction by the Freehold Township police and fire departments, as well as the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office.

According to Superintendent of Schools William J. Setaro, district administrators are taking the issue of school violence seriously.

"We've made changes in behavior and habits," said Setaro. "We have tightened security and have a thorough plan. Staff and faculty are required to wear badges at all times, and everyone entering the school must be buzzed in."

Setaro said the tighter security has sometimes led to complaints.

"Some parents complain that the schools don't have an open-door policy," he said. "We would rather err and have a parent complain that there's no access. The sad part is that schools are supposed to be open to the community, but it's tough to do that with all the school violence going on. We try to provide all possible security measures in the building and we've taken all the appropriate precautions and safety measures."

The superintendent noted that with the recent wave of school violence across the country, this week has special importance.

"Everything is more in reference with the traumas that have occurred," said Setaro. "We're trying to protect millions of kids. We're doing the best we can. We're in touch with the police department, but how comfortable can we be with all the violence that's occurred? We have a crisis management plan, but we hope never to use those plans. Our focus is to teach the children how to resolve conflicts and better ways to solve problems."