Ho-Ho-Kus January 30, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 School, borough to discuss resource officer by Jennifer Crusco Representatives from the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School and the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus are scheduled to meet this week to discuss the possibility of having a resource officer at the borough’s K-8 school building. The concept of having a police officer working within the building arose shortly after the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. “We don’t want cost to be the determining factor,” Superintendent Deborah Ferrara said last week. Should an officer be hired, she said, the district would look at having a percentage of the resource officer’s pay covered by the school. The superintendent indicated that school officials have been discussing the responsibilities of a resource officer, which might include discussions with the students regarding topics such as bullying. Ferrara said the district is just investigating the concept. She added that, while some parents favor hiring a school resource officer, other parents do not. “The police have been wonderful,” Ferrara added. “They have been here a lot.” She said that a security expert will also be visiting the school to discuss possible safety updates for the building. At last week’s council meeting, residents Dana Koenig, Donna Cioffi, and Suzanne Keenan asked the governing body about the steps being taken in relation to security at the borough’s only school building. Koenig said she has appreciated in the increase in police presence at the school and asked about the permanence of that presence. Mayor Thomas Randall said the borough is working with the school district. Commenting on police presence, Randall said the police are at the school constantly and are in or at the building several times a day. The mayor pointed out that, because the town is small, the police can easily get to the school building on short notice. Koenig said she understood that police presence at the school was a budgetary issue. Police Chief John Wanamaker addressed the resident, saying that the department posts several details a day in front of the school. However, he said that, at busier times of the year, or when people have days off, it is not always possible to have that regular presence. Addressing the question of formalizing police presence at the school, Wanamaker said, “It’s not a feasible option right now…not without gaining another police officer.” Randall said the school board has the ability to put that option to a vote. Cioffi then pointed out that a free school security assessment and an active shooter video are now available. Wanamaker and Randall indicated that the school is already aware of both of those resources. Keenan said she felt good about the long-term security plans for the school, but questioned what was being done in the interim. “I can’t stress enough how important the school is to us,” Wanamaker responded. “It is a top priority. It always has been. It always will be.” At the request of the borough’s recreation department, the Ho-Ho-Kus Council has introduced an ordinance that would update the background check procedure for recreation program employees and volunteers. Ed Gartner, the recreation director for Ho-Ho-Kus and Upper Saddle River, told Villadom TIMES that the proposal would involve the use of fingerprinting to conduct the background checks. Rather than just using a person’s basic information and Social Security number, the use of fingerprinting provides more accurate results, Gartner said. He indicated that this procedure has been in use in Upper Saddle River for about a year, and is working well. “I think this will streamline the process for all the coaches,” Gartner said last week. Asked about the process, Gartner explained that the person undergoing the check would be vetted by a Paramus-based facility that works on behalf of the New Jersey State Police. The individual being vetted would pay for the fingerprinting service when the appointment is made. The cost would be approximately $26, and the service would be Vetting procedure to be updated good for three years. According to Ordinance 1015, the criminal history background check involves a determination of whether a person has a criminal record by cross-referencing that individual’s name and fingerprints with those on file with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and with the New Jersey State Police. The check includes a search for arrests, indictments, formal criminal charges, convictions, dismissals, and correctional supervision. Under the terms of the ordinance, a person may be disqualified from serving as an employee or volunteer of a nonprofit youth-serving organization if the background check indicates conviction for crimes or disorderly persons offenses. Those offenses include incidents against the family, children, or incompetents; crimes involving theft; and incidents involving controlled dangerous substances. Individuals being vetted could also be disqualified for incidents that occur in other jurisdictions which, if committed in New Jersey, would constitute a crime or a (continued on page 27)