Hillsdale adds armed police officer at elementary schools after Parkland shooting

HILLSDALE — The borough is the latest to assign armed police officers to patrol schools, an action that several local districts have taken following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in February.

The Borough Council voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with the Board of Education to have one Class III Special Law Enforcement Officer patrol George White Middle School and the two district elementary schools, Meadowbrook School and Ann Blanche Smith School.

“Considering what has gone on in other schools, parents want to know that their children are afforded a certain level of protection,” Mayor John Ruocco said. “Parents are ill at ease and want to know that the school can react, God forbid, in the event that there’s a problem.”

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More:Pascack Valley adds after-school armed officers

Class III officers are retired cops who have full police powers. The Hillsdale officer will work 40 hours a week and be paid $23.44 per hour. The district will reimburse the town for the cost.  

Of course, Ruocco said, armed officers are not the only solution. Area districts are also looking to enhance security throughout the buildings and shore up entrance ways, he said.

Hillsdale joins its high school counterpart, Pascack Valley Regional High School, in employing armed officers in schools. The regional district has employed two officers at each of its schools – Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley high schools – since September 2017.

Pascack Valley Regional recently decided to also hire two additional officers for after-school hours, one to patrol each building.

Hackensack, Garfield and Mahwah districts also joined the push for more security following the Parkland shooting, installing armed guards at schools or making plans to do so.

In Palisades Park, school safety officers were expected to return to their posts this week, following a snafu with the agreement between the council and the Board of Education. The board had unexpectedly tabled the agreement in April, but it was approved last week.

Email: nolan@northjersey.com