Security
fears spur Nov. 2 school closings
Many districts opt to cancel classes at
polling sites
Wednesday, October 20, 2004 • BY PAULA SAHA •
Star-Ledger Staff
With predictions of a high voter turnout raising
concerns about crowd control and security, many schools in
New Jersey that house polling places are closing on Election
Day.
School officials say recent events, like the attack at a
school in Beslan, Russia, and the discovery of a computer CD
in Iraq that contained safety and security policies for two
New Jersey school districts, have fanned worries among
parents and school administrators.
"It's the perception of terror that exists in the world
today," said Randolph Superintendent of Schools Samuel
Stewart, whose district in Morris County has decided to
cancel classes on Nov. 2. "While I am sure that perception
is worse than the reality, I didn't want to take any
chances."
The decision to close schools is up to local officials,
said Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School
Boards Association.
"I think there might be more concern this year because
it is a presidential election, the first presidential
election since 9/11," Belluscio said.
In Rumson in Monmouth County, Police Chief Edward Rumolo
said local officials decided to close all schools --
including private schools -- that house polling places.
Rumson was one of the two school districts whose crisis
planning information was on a CD found by the U.S. military
in Iraq. The school mentioned on the disc, Rumson-Fair Haven
Regional High School, will remain open on Election Day
because it does not have a polling place, Rumolo said.
The disc was not the main reason for the closings, but
it played a part, he said.
"My concern is the safety of the kids," Rumolo said.
"There will be people driving up all day, with the increased
traffic around the schools between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. ...
It's just good practice to close."
For some districts, security came second to the
logistics of accommodating the expected huge number of
voters. That was the reason the School District of the
Chathams decided on Monday to close schools Nov. 2.
"We have dramatic traffic problems at all of our schools
and the anticipation for the turnout that day is very high,"
said Superintendent James O'Neill.
Last November, O'Neill said, an elderly woman fell in
the hallways, overwhelmed by the rush of students between
classes. In addition, O'Neill said, the closure will
alleviate some parents' concerns for their children's
safety.
Chatham mom Melinda Bennington said she has no problem
with the district canceling school. For one thing, she said,
the date falls in the middle of a parent- teacher conference
week. Secondly, the schools are crowded and third, while she
would not call herself an alarmist, "maybe given the recent
news about the school in Rumson, I had a little more
concerns than I normally would have."
West Orange school board President Corinne Kyle said the
board decided to close schools on Election Day primarily
because construction at seven of the district's 10 schools
would limit parking and access. In addition, accommodating
thousands of voters meant the schools' usual security system
would have to be disabled or modified drastically.
Joe Kramer, acting superintendent for Belleville schools
in Essex County, said he decided to close schools both for
security reasons and because of the commotion that
accompanies Election Day.
"It's not that you're necessarily concerned about things
happening at your location," said Kramer. "But parents get
nervous about this. The day would be a bust anyway."
Putting polling places in schools has become a national
issue, with groups and activists advocating their removal
springing up around the country.
In New Jersey, Sen. Joseph Palaia (R-Monmouth)
introduced a bill last year that would prohibit the use of
schools as polling places. It was not well received.
"I received such grief from so many people," he said.
"All I was thinking of was the safety of the children. I
wanted boards of education to review their policies about
opening schools on Election Day. I was always greatly
concerned that I had over a thousand people coming into my
building, and I really had no control."
Palaia said he believes the atmosphere around his
proposal may have changed now given recent events. He plans
to reintroduce the bill.
"I think this is a serious, serious problem, and I just
don't want to be reactionary," he said. "Here we have an
opportunity to act ahead of time and head off something that
could be serious."
Staff writers Maura McDermott, Bill Swayze, Katie Wang,
Jonathan Casiano and Maryann Spoto contributed to this
report.
© 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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