Good move to have the armed police officers in every school together with reliable comunication system

Kudos to you Marlboro! Thank you for taking the first step in process that I can only hope Lacey schools and all schools follow in!

That's great .. I remember when I went to Marlboro high we had Officer James Fererro there at all times. He was truly amazing . He walked around the school in and out and sat w us during lunch . Everyone knew him and went to him for advise.

What about everywhere else ... dept. stores soccer games .. day cares .. churches .. ect.. This does nothing to get the 4 million assault weapons off the streets from evil people that have them ...Connecticut strictest gun laws in the state didn't help ..gun free zone at colorado movie theater didn't help Last 2 years towns were laying off police ..Is this a temporary fix to bigger problems

This is madness! I am on the Board of Education in Westfield and cannot understand why in the world you are doing this. Fighting gun violence with more guns does not work- that's what the NRA wants you to do. Its one thing to have some police presence from time to time but to have armed officers at all schools? This will not happen in our town. There is no perfect solution- Obviously security measures matter within the schools but you can't fight evil with more weapons. Sends a horrible message to the kids in my view. We are not a police state- nor should we become one.Unfortunately nobody will ever be equipped for a tragedy like Newtown until stronger laws are enacted federally and mental health awareness becomes more of a national issue.

I agree with the above- Look- the NRA told you to do this and you do it? Do the residents have a say here? I for one oppose this!!
http://www.businessinsider.com/nra-press-conference-gun-control-sandy-hook-school-shooting-2012-12

kevin..4 mill AW on the streets? not likely....mitch...stronger laws? someone with a criminal intent in mind, wont be bothered by the law...murder is illegal, taking guns to school is illegal yet that happened anyway did'nt it? so what possible law could anyone craft that would prevent criminal acts from occuring....your essentially asking for a police state where by every facet of day to day human behavior is controlled. the only way is to implant mind control devices in every child born.
the other day a guy was let out of nj prison after serving 6yrs for manslaughter, the next he killed his ex-girlfriend. NJ needs to allow its citizens to carry concealed handguns, providing they pass obvious bachground and mental health checks as they do just to purchase guns in nj.You would see a huge drop in gun related crimes.Chicago has the toughest gun laws yet have a war zone type murder rate,ask yourself why?

i have not heard anyone say , knowing that her son was mentally unstable,,why keep those guns in the house? she put an open gas can next to a flame.

I guess that there will soon be armed guards in malls, movie theatres, churches, hospitals or just any public place. Soon America will look like the Nazi SS state. Our kids are precious to all of us but having armed guards is not the answer.

Mitch,

I agree with you 100%!! This action--as well-intended--is just a "knee-jerk" response to the tragedy that occurred in Connecticut. In my opinion what we do need is the bullet-proof glass that has protected so many bank tellers over the years, and doors that are manned by school security personnel.

Furthermore, all glass doors need to be replaced with all metal doors. If I recall with the tragedy in Newtown, the doors were all glass. The doors were closed and locked when school employees observed the gunmen come towards the school; however, the gunman was able to blast through the all glass construction of the door, enabling him to just walk in.

As well intentioned as it may be-- this proposition is going to get expensive. We can't have armed police officers everywhere.

All of your suggestions of how to secure a school are valid, ie. Replace glass doors with metal, etc....but no matter what barricades you put in front of a madman, if they want to get in....they will. Plus, children and staff are totally vulnerable while at recess or outside for gym. The ONLY thing that will stop a gunman before he can kill 26 people is someone in the building with a gun. It sounds great to say we need to ban guns, or limit the sale of guns.....but what about the millions of guns already out there? There is no way to close that pandoras box at this point and get all the guns back....so, the only option is to protect our children with equal measures.

Sorry Mitch but I think you're way off base. Look back at the NRA statement. They think ALL should be armed. Be it teachers, admins, any responsible adult. Marlboro is not doing that. Marlboro is placing a trained police officer in their buildings with the hope and intent to discourage someone from making a decision like that subject made in Newton. As much of a lunatic that he was, his decisions were calculated and acted upon. This is a sad day in America but what choice is there. Say a prayer for Newton and lets hope that we can look back someday and say that these steps were not necessary.

This is a local politician using fear to promote his own agenda. One cop at a school will not stop or deter a nut with an assault rifle, just ask the 15 families from Columbine, yes they had two armed officers at the school at the time of the shooting and they could do nothing. With all the talks about the economy and cuts the towns need to make there are much better ways to spend a million dollars of tax money. What most also seem to forget is most, 10 out of the last 12 school mass shootings in the US, were perpetrated by students within the school. Posting one officer has no effect one this. I am all for the safety of the children but not some local mayor putting his brownshirts in our public schools

Columbine in 1999..armed security guard in school and it didn't stop the massacre. Doesn't this disprove the theory that an armed guard could have prevented newtown massacre?

*not could have prevented..WOULD have prevented.

There was an armed guard on duty at Columbine High School the day of the shooting. His handgun was no match for the assault rifles and militarized weaponry and armor that were brought into school that day. As a public school educator who has family who attended Marlboro schools, I'm saddened that this funding isn't going toward hiring more caring teachers, support staff, and health and human services professionals who could provide sorely needed intervention for troubled youngsters.

I have 3 small s children attending the Marlboro schools and I couldn't be happier. I think they should also install billet proof glass in all the schools in the country. This country needs to amend some of the pure freedoms we have to make things safer here for everyone, especially the children. This wouldn't happen in Jerusalem! And if you are worried about the message the children are going to receive when seeing armed guards then think about the message the children are receiving when having to attend funerals of their classmates!! There is no easy solution and no exact answer but I hope this is a step in the right direction. Statistics show that schools with armed guards are less targeted.

Unfortunately, society has become much more interested in celebrities, lurid movies, and sensationalism. Many people, especially the sensitive ones, become ridden with all sorts of behavioral, social, and mental issues because of the too fast paced, instant gratification, culture we have. With all the single parents out there, or families where two parents work, our youth is being raised by the internet, gangs, and peer pressure. I believe in order to fix this problem, we need to fix ourselves, find our faith again, find a better way of life. Our children need to grow in a society that nurtures positivity and love. No law will ever stop these acts. These acts will however stop if those who would commit them never intended to do them. And in order for that to happen, we must fix our culture.

If the gun owners were smarter we wouldn't have these issues. How many guns and ammo does one need? Remember the story last week out of Howell where hunters who were "within the legal limits" of a school frightened everyone hunting deer? What the heck were they thinking? Was it really that important to get the deer there during the time children were present?

A single guard might be an early responder but cannot possibly cover all exits. But if the NRA thinks this is required, perhaps they (and the gun and ammo lobby) can put up the money for it rather than throw more of this burden on the taxpayers.

How are we paying for this?

What about Fort Hood???? Should they have armed guards? Oh wait!! They did!! The military was there.... and they could not stop the insanity. This is just what the NRA wanted.. I have two elementary school children, and I think this is a sad day when we think this is the answer

Dawn, you are kidding of course?? If not, WE the silly taxpayers will be paying for this!!!

Sad news that the Marlboro mayor's first reaction was to add more guns to the discussion. How about adding land mines and trip wires just in case?

Typical Marlboro: always doing the wrong thing. May I remind the morons who run Marlboro that Columbine AND Virginia Tech had armed guards; and so did the army--yes, ARMY base at Ft. Hood? You idiots! If your kids aren't frightened enough, you're sure going a long way to really mess them up with this idiotic idea, which is besides already having to grow up in Marlboro. Nice job. Have you seen the Marlboro cops? I wouldn't let them guard a cess pool. And wasn't it the Marlboro cops who chased that poor mentally ill kid until he shot himself with his father's gun? Yes, it was.

Blame the elected officials known as the Board of Education. This decision is going to cause a spike in the Board of Education taxes. It's bad enough that Hurricane Sandy will reduce state aid to school districts--but now this???

They have to go if their voting record indicates they approved this!!!

Wonderful ideas about changing our culture, single parent families, gun laws, getting faith back into our lives, accepting the mentally ill and reducing the stigma associated with it, HOWEVER, this can take some time.....and until then, I am all for an armed guard at my child's school to possibly deter some sick individual......Go Marlboro!

The NRA said the way to stop the bad guys with guns is with good guys with guns. Nine people were shot by "good guys with guns" during the Empire State shooting. I am an educator, but I am sorry, the problem are these automatic weapons that are out there. I have yet to here ONE person give me a legitimate reason why these are legal. These are the guns that caused these mass shootings (see all of the mass shootings this year!). I am sorry, one guy with a gun in the school will not deter someone from doing these horrific things. This is a quick over reaction to a tragic event. Should you not ride the subway because someone got pushed? Should we not ride an airplane because of 9/11? It is a crazy world, but we need to be more aware of our surroundings and each other. So when a student takes out something that could be a gun and an officer pulls the trigger in a crowded hallway...then what? More guns is not the answer!

I formed my opinion, wanting an armed guard in the school, well before the NRA even spoke....I agree that there should not be guns on the street and there should at the very least, be new laws regarding guns...but what about the ones already out there? And the point of recognizing mental illness, etc. I agree that the stigma exists and there might be some barriers toward treatment, etc However, being in the field for a number of yrs, there has been tremendous progress in recognizing mental illness and the availability of treatment options out there compared to years ago....but still, there will always be problems with the mental health system, as many that do have access to medication/services refuse to utilize it and the ones who want to, may not have the insurance or money to afford the meds/counseling that they may benefit from. So, therefore, I do not have the answer and never stated that i did but i see NO harm at all in having someone in the school for now until we figure out what the hell to do.....i am one who admits that i do not have the answer...too many seem so sure that they have the answer (video games, movies, 2 parents working, etc) and i think it's just silly....I think we are all just lost in this whole thing

theres 20 thousand gun laws on the books..not one has prevented a criminal act,
but they may have detered many from committing a crime...having an armed security is a deterent..,"if it saves one life " ,, the reasoned battle cry of all the gun laws crafted to prevent, make difficult the possesion, purchase and use of firearms is now the reason to have a gun..

more guns are the answer? have we completely lost our senses? in a school no less? the knee jerk reaction on the part of the board of education is simply dangerous. please rethink the message this community is giving our children. a very sad day in marlboro.

Allan, It's time to hold the board of education members accountable and responsible for this. The mayor cannot do this unilateral action without the Board giving the green light!!

Who is running for re-election????

The cop at the door would have been the first one dead. I cannot believe how ludicrous this knee jerk reaction is. How many schools are there? Are we going to pay a police officer $100,000 / year to sit at the door of every school? How about all the daycare centers doesn't every Goddard School, YMCA etc. deserve the same protection? How about CCD and Hebrew schools? Anyone see the insanity in this? If you are going to hire more cops put them on the road where they can really save lives, like enforcing DWI and Texting while driving laws. There's something that is highly likely to kill a kid in Marlboro, FAR more likely than a school massacre which is about as likely as a lightning strike despite what the news might have you believe. How about providing monthly Active Shooter training for the police and providing them with weapons and training that are superior to the bad guy so that in the unlikely event that something terrible does happen, you have a well staffed police department out on the road ready for rapid response well trained and well armed to deal with the threats.

Annoyed

The mayor got what he wanted, his name in a national newspaper, The Wall St. Journal, the New York section:

"...........Not all area officials think the idea is so off-base. Marlboro, N.J., Mayor Jon Hornik reportedly said all schools in the township will have armed guards by January. Mr. Hornik didn't respond to requests for comment. And in Danbury, Conn., which is situated near Sandy Hook, armed police are already routinely assigned to school-protection duty........"

This is shameless politicizing. These police officers could be put to more effective use by patrolling our neighborhood streets and shopping centers.

"Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teen agers"
http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html
Yet many of the same parents advocating protecting their children in school by having an armed guard at the door are also buying those same children expensive cars and sending them out to be killed at a far greater percentage than any other cause of death. Do we not see some mixed message here? Sure, this senseless murder of 20 school children in Cn. was a terrible tragedy. What I see i happening is that the gun lovers of the country are trying to avert their eyes to the real problem of too many guns in the wrong hands by singling out historically, one of the safest places for our children, the schools, as a red herring and demand that more guns be in place to protect something that doesn't need protection. If you are really serious about protecting the children, take away their cars. Take away their cell phones which are shown to be the latest scourge of auto accidents. Demand that the police patrol the roads, put down their own cell phones and enforce the no cell phone use while driving. That will save our kids more than putting a armed policeman in every school.

It seems to me more people are against this plan than are for it. Therefore, Board of Education members ( I know your reading this) please have a public hearing on this matter to get the true pulse of the people who will ultimately have to pay for this. As some readers remarked, where does it end? Are we going to have armed police officers in Goddard, Jewish schools, Catholic schools, etc. Stop the knee-jerk reaction. You allowed this measure as evidenced by the below Marlboro BOE hyperlink:
http://www.marlboro.k12.nj.us/

If private schools wish to have police officers thats their right to do so

And if public schools wish to have armed police officers in their schools--and increase taxes--it's the Board of Education's fiduciary responsiblity to have a public hearing on this matter.

Jon, congratulations on receiving your five minutes of fame for being the first to announce armed police officers in school and receiving media attention! I thought that was your motive during Sandy, to be on the forefront of the JCP&L issue and this has confirmed that you are fame hungry.

I bought my house 2 years ago in Marlboro Twp based on the great school system, now I live in a town where the mayor has jumped on the the NRA bandwagon....

I am happy that I have another three years before my son enters the school system and I hope that you are not relected and that this is gone by that time. Placing armed officers is not the answer. I bet that if there was an armed officer in Newton that day that the same outcome would have taken place with an extra person killed, the armed officer.

Columbine had an armed guard. Virginia Tech had it's own police department. Ft. Hood was a military base.

None of this nonsense proves anything...Like I said before, statistics show that our kids are safer in schools than in automobiles and no one is talkin about takin their cell phones away while they're drivin or even keepin 'em out of cars until they're, maybe 21. That'll keep 'em alive a few years longer and maybe they'll get smarter...The problem is that too many of the parents are dumber!

Biggest threat to children in the entire world: cellphones and cars! Keep the cops on the street enforcing cellphone related distracted while driving laws!

While refusing to have a public hearing Mayor Hornik was deleting all comments against this measure from his Facebook page while keeping those who supported his measure He has now taken the page down completely. Great way to respond to your constituency. Have a public hearing you have time before schools reopen. If you cannot face the public on a decision you make it says something about both you and the decision

Can't believe this insanity has made it to a Republican blog now.

http://www.moremonmouthmusings.net/2012/12/23/marlboro-to-post-cops-at-schools/

To those who believe that cops in schools is bad, what is YOUR solution? Do something? Do nothing? What would you suggestr the town do?

Milton,
There are many options, and yes do nothing is a choice. They could put unarmed police in the school, as does NYC et al. They could change out the doors. The could hire counselors trained to work with troubled youths and get to the root of the issue. There are many choices that can and should be discussed but rather they chose without any public discussion to put armed police in the schools. It is not as if there was no time as it would have been nearly a month between the shooting in Newtown and when the kids return in January. The Mayor however chose to spend his time doing interviews with NBC news, CBS news, news12 new jersey and the New York post rather than address his constituents directly

I have attempted to contact the mayor directly, seems he is not interested. NYC schools police force are a division of the nypd, they qualify as nys peace officers while on duty and is roughly 5000 persons strong. Again whether you agree or not the fact is they are options that should be discussed in an open public forum before armed security was enacted, there was time to have these discussions. Today there was a shooting inside a NJ police department, the only people armed were police, until one lost their firearm to a detained individual. And if this were to happen in a local high school, what then? I still see this as a political stunt by a mayor with higher political aspirations and nothing more. You can't say the interviews with the press added to the safety of the children, purely a political move. This IMHO is a play to exploit irrational fears after a horrific tragedy for political gain, nothing more

Steve, you make a lot of sense. An open public forum would have been a good idea. The mayor should have responded to you about this issue. He seems to prefer face time on camera rather than facing his constituents at home with questions and challenges. The public would have shared ideas and perhaps have come up with some sane solutions to a serious problem. I wish Hornik had more interaction with the public and included them in contributing their ideas about the safety of our children. Safety at all venues has to be considered now. Movie theaters, malls, places of worship, etc. can be targets for unstable individuals who have access to guns. After the murders in Conn. there is more discussion which is a good thing. Mr. Hornik needs to pay more attention to the public including police experts, mental health workers and parents..His decision was made rather hastily in my opinion. The mayor should respond to your questions..He is showing a lack of respect by not doing so.

Grandstanding period!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFTbTkaCdpk&feature=youtu.be

Let the members of the Board of Education know how you feel on this matter. Trust me, they are reading the comments.
https://www.facebook.com/MarlboroK8SchoolDistrictNotifications?fref=ts

so will all the parents be willing to pay this out of their OWN pocket as opposed to the taxpayers? Where will it end?

For all who asked, we have an update about how the district is paying for this program: http://marlboro-coltsneck.patch.com/articles/cops-in-schools-costing-marlboro-100-000-for-90-days

With all comments like these, Marlboro schools will just become a target for some psycho. Some lunatic will just try to hit the schools now to make a point. Too much publicizing of this, let it go already.