Lampitt Statement on School Security

The Assembly Education Committee and the Senate Education Committee met jointly today to take testimony from invited guests on issues related to school security

(TRENTON) – Assembly Education Committee Chair Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden/Burlington) issued this statement following Thursday’s joint education committee hearing on school security:

“School security has been on the forefront of every parent and student’s mind of late. The horrific shooting in Parkland opened many eyes to what more we can and should be doing to protect our children.

“While New Jersey has strong and effective statewide school security policies in place, we must constantly assess what more can be done to support our students, teachers, and faculty to promote a safe school environment. Beyond safety drills and increased security infrastructure in our schools, we must begin to evaluate how schools are working to ensure that students feel safe in their learning environment and that resources are available to students to help reach students in distress.

“There is much that can be done to tighten security in our schools and the recommendations provide in the testimony from advocates, school administrators, and security experts received today will help the committee identify solutions to improve current security deficits in our schools.

“I look forward to hearing more from teachers, parents, and students from our local school districts on their concerns and what else we can do to make our schools safer at the upcoming the committee hearings in Cherry Hill and Newark. This input will be integral as we look at ways to better protect our schools and students.”    

The Assembly and Senate education committees will host a joint public hearing on Monday, April 9, 2018 at 3 p.m. at Camden County College, William G. Rohrer Center, 1889 Route 70 East, Cherry Hill, NJ. Individuals wishing to testify can register by calling (609) 847-3850