By Patricia A. Miller
Armed police officers are now on duty in both the Central Regional Middle School and Central Regional High School, Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele said.
The Central Regional Board of Education's decision to have one officer for both schools - located on the same campus off Forest Hills Parkway in Bayville - was not a popular one with some parents.
Some Berkeley Township Council members took time out of a special meeting on Nov. 1 to criticize the decision. Township Councilman L. Thomas Grosse Jr. - a Toms River police officer - said intruders would go for the easiest "target."
Armed police officers are now on duty in both the Central Regional Middle School and Central Regional High School, Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele said.
The Central Regional Board of Education's decision to have one officer for both schools - located on the same campus off Forest Hills Parkway in Bayville - was not a popular one with some parents.
Some Berkeley Township Council members took time out of a special meeting on Nov. 1 to criticize the decision. Township Councilman L. Thomas Grosse Jr. - a Toms River police officer - said intruders would go for the easiest "target."
Central Regional Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said recently that Central was still discussing how best to handle school security with DiMichele and other similar school districts like Southern Regional and Manchester.
Both Southern Regional and Manchester have one officer to handle both middle and high schools, he said.
Parlapanides sent a letter to Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. on Oct. 28. Central - like Berkeley Township school district schools - was provided with two police officers at a reduced rate for the 2012-2013 school year. Central paid for the officers with School Choice funds, Berkeley paid with pre-school program funds.
Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Unfortunately, the salaries for the two police officers have been increased for the 2013-2014 school year and we have only approved one officer to cover our campus," Parlapanides said.
He noted that the council had hired a new network administrator at $80,000 a year, when Central could have provided a shared service IT person for $20,000 a year, without benefits.
"If security is such a concern for yourself and other council members, then stop giving out jobs and pay raises to your friends and provide real leadership to Berkeley Township," Parlapanides said.
Come back to Berkeley Patch later for more information.
He noted that the council had hired a new network administrator at $80,000 a year, when Central could have provided a shared service IT person for $20,000 a year, without benefits.
"If security is such a concern for yourself and other council members, then stop giving out jobs and pay raises to your friends and provide real leadership to Berkeley Township," Parlapanides said.
Come back to Berkeley Patch later for more information.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
