High School Lockdown Presented Security 'Challenges' [VIDEO]

  The reported gun incident that triggered the Thursday morning lockdown at Greenwich High School presented several security and safety “challenges” that School Superintendent William McKersie said will be addressed by the pending $1.4 million district-wide security upgrade.

“Some of the things that were a challenge will be addressed by the safety and security plan the town has approved,” McKersie said. Despite those challenges, in the hours following the April 11 lockdown McKersie and town officials praised the swift response of Greenwich Police, particularly School Resource Officer Carlos Franco who was able to identify both the student who called 911 and the student who reportedly had a gun in his backpack. The student didn’t have a gun but was charged with breach of peace for reportedly intimating he had a gun he intended to use. 

“The locking of the doors, the universality of keys, access of police, the layout of the building for police, an external notification system for students who are off site” all will be addressed with the plan that has the endorsement of the Greenwich Police Department and meets standards recently approved by the state in response to the Sandy Hook School massacre.

The Representative Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved the $1.4 million plan at its April 8 meeting. Under the safety program, the doors to classrooms in all of the district’s 15 schools will be fitted with locks that can be locked from the inside and one key will fit those locks. A digital mapping system of each building will be devised for first-responders as well. McKersie also said an electronic messaging system for high school students who often travel off-campus for lunch will be implemented.

“There will be a visual they will receive that will tell them not to return" to the school. McKersie said the incident underscored the importance and need for an SRO in the 2,800-student school. “… it does prove  the necessity of the SRO position in the school,” McKersie said. 
Without a school resource officer and security plan, “It could have been very different outcome in some very negative ways … he knows the students, he knows the school.” As part of the school security upgrade, McKersie said, “The administration is recommending to the (school) board that we need that second SRO … we made that recommendation ahead of the event … I’m just focused on the current SRO… it made a gigantic difference in this situation … most people are supportive of having the SRO.”
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McKersie has been working with the police department in determining how to assign a second police officer as an SRO who would work at both the high school and the district’s three middle schools.

 McKersie added, “I don’t want to turn situation (Thursday) into a political situation on the second SRO position … it does prove the necessity of the SRO position in the school … ultimately the board’s going to vote on it the week after vacation.”

McKersie said he is still reviewing the financial issues regarding a second SRO. The board is expected vote on that recommendation at its April 25 meeting.

McKersie would not discuss the status of Gianfranco Romero, 19, of 168 N. Water St., Greenwich, the student charged in the incident. “The police have fully investigated and we believe we are in a very safe place with this individual and the situation,” McKersie said. “We’ll look into the disciplinary issues but I am not going to get into the discipline discussions. We are now going through the review of his behavior.”