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East Haven Public Schools Adds Security Guards to Staff

In response to recent social media threats and Tik Tok challenges, such as the Dec. 17 challenge that encouraged students to post bomb or shooting threats to schools, East Haven Public Schools and the Board of Education (BOE) voted to add three security guards to its staff.

“The increase in security guards at the high school and middle school came on the heels of the recent nationwide trends like the Tik Tok challenges and other social media threats that have been popping up in school settings around the country,” said Superintendent of Schools Erica Forti.

There are now two security guards at Melillo Middle School and one at the high school. While several videos of fights in EHPS circulated social media in November, Forti noted that “the increase in staff was not directly related to the physical altercations in schools.”

The security guard positions were approved by the BOE and will be funded through the staffing line of the BOE operational budget. The security guards report directly to the building principals and administration.

The security guards are working in addition to the school resource officers (SROs), who work for the East Haven Police Department (EHPD). The SRO program was revitalized at the beginning of this school year after being inactive since 2011.

Lieutenant Joe Murgo noted that the EHPD is “very proud” of the program and that Officers Nicole Burrell and George Gerosa have been “a great fit” at their respective schools, with Burrell at the high school and Gerosa at the middle school. He explained that the main goal of SROs is to develop relationships with the students.

“An SRO has a very important responsibility in a school setting because to be effective, they have to build the trust of the students within the school—it’s all about fostering positive relationships in an effort to bridge the gap between the police and the community in which we serve,” said Murgo. “Both staff and students alike appreciate their presence in school and as an agency, we are grateful to be able to bring this service back to East Haven.”

Forti values the partnership that EHPS has formed with EHPD and the Town of East Haven. While the security guards and SROs work together on a daily basis with a goal of achieving the overall safety and security of staff and students, they have different roles.

“An SRO’s main priority is to foster positive relationships with students, while still maintaining their professional duties as law enforcement officers,” said Forti. “If an incident occurs on school property that requires a police response, the SRO responds appropriately, however, the SRO is not expected to involve themselves in daily disciplinary or otherwise school-related student behavioral issues.”

The security guards rotate through various posts through the school during the day. They can be found staffing the front security desks, checking in visitors, monitoring cameras, walking the perimeter of the school to ensure doors are closed and locked, and supervising and monitoring halls and areas in the school during passing time.

“The high school administration is responsible, with support from the district, [East Haven Fire Department], and EHPD, for creating a crisis plan for their school,” said Forti. “These plans are also required to be submitted to the State Department of Emergency Services each year. The security guards, like all EHPS faculty and staff, are expected to follow the emergency response processes in accordance with the plan and assist administration per their defined roles.”