Schools

UPDATE: Police Presence Up at Morristown Schools After CT Shooting

Officers requested by Morris School District following Friday school shooting in Connecticut.

Following the school shooting in Connecticut on Friday, many police departments and municipalities have said they would be taking increased precautions to ensure the safety of their schoolchildren, including in this area.

A press release issued over the weekend by the Morris Township Police Department noted officers would be available at all Township schools—both public and private—throughout the week.

The town also has had officers at all Morris School District schools in Morristown on Monday and Tuesday.

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"The superintendent of schools [Thomas Ficarra] had made a request for a law enforcement presence at all the Morris district schools," Morristown Business Administrator Michael Rogers said Tuesday. "The [police] chief [Peter Demnitz] found the request to be reasonable."

An officer was assigned to each school in town for times around opening and closing both Monday and Tuesday. Rogers could not say if officers would again be placed at the schools on Wednesday, saying such decisions were being made on a day-to-day basis.

Find out what's happening in Morristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The unspeakable tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook School in Connecticut is heartbreaking and touches us all," said Ficarra in a letter sent to parents over the weekend. "In light of this tragedy I want to assure parents that our students’ safety is always at the forefront of everything we do. The Morris School District has worked closely for several years with local police, the Morris County Prosecutors office and emergency responders to establish, practice and refine safety measures specific to each school.

"As parents, we will all hold our children closer in the days to come and our hearts and prayers go out to those families whose loss is beyond measure," Ficarra concluded in the letter.


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