In light of the recent school shootings, at least one parent in
the Bradford Area School District has voiced his concern for the
safety of the students in this school district.

Gerald Kleiderlein, who has a child in both George G. Blaisdell
Elementary and School Street Elementary schools, called The Era to
ask what the school district intends to do in case of an emergency
such as what has happened in Lancaster, Bailey, Colo., and
Cazenovia, Wis., recently.

“A roving security person is not acceptable. We need a full-time
person there at all times. We need the security as long as the
school is open,” said Kleiderlein. “We need someone who is trained
and armed to suppress anyone that may enter with bad
intentions.”

Bradford City Police Officer Dave Feely, the current school
resource officer, was hired in August of 2005 and was reinstated in
June of this year.

“I’m the district-wide school resource officer,” Feely said,
explaining that he works eight hours a day and sometimes has to
rearrange his schedule depending on specific programs or events
held within the district at any of the schools.

Feely added that the bulk of his calls require him to respond to
the high school more often than any other school in the district,
but he adds that he does get calls from all of them and responds as
soon as he can. Most of his calls revolve around student
misbehavior.

The school district went through a pilot program in 2003 when
City Police Officer Steve Green was stationed at Bradford Area High
School, but traveled in the district as needed. That program ended
four months later when officials realized they may not be receiving
a grant to help pay for the officer to be stationed in the school
system.

In an August 2005 story, it was announced the school district,
after evaluating the presence of Green in 2003, decided to re-hire
an officer. The story also said that the district would have a
contract with the police department that will cover what the
officer already gets paid.

District officials said last year they paid the City of Bradford
$45,275 to reimburse the officer’s wages while he worked in the
district. Feely works through the school year and returns to the
city police station during the summer months.

Feely said he has received several calls recently from parents
concerned about the coverage he is able to provide each school in
the district.

“I explained to them that the district has security in place
other than me,” said Feely. “The doors are locked (during school
hours) and then there is a buzzer system, where a visitor tells the
person in the office what they are there for. Then, they must go
straight to the office. Nobody can just walk and go inside. They
all have a buzzer system and the doors are locked from the
outside.

“The doors are locked through the school day and I drive around
them, too,” added Feely. “I take a look at the outside of the
schools and walk around to get to know the students. By and large,
we have great kids in the school system, but there are some that
take up (a lot) of time.”

Feely added that there is a heightened awareness in the system
since the shootings at other schools have occurred.

BASD Superintendent Sandra Romanowski said adults are posted at
the front of the schools while the children are let inside the
buildings and after all are inside, the doors are locked and the
security buzzer system is then activated.

“We don’t take safety lightly,” she said. “Feely has a cell
phone and he can be called by any principal and can be there as
quickly as members of the police department – no school is too far
away from another.

“He really goes to all of the four buildings, he may be more
visible at the high school, but does serve all of the schools,”
said Romanowski.

Romanowski also said Feely is not considered an employee of the
district, but of the city.

In the 2004-05 school year, there were seven bomb threats
reported. At the end of the school year, Romanowski told a reporter
that there was never a real threat and that the persons responsible
for the threats had been found and disciplinary action was taken by
the district.

There have been no reported bomb threats since that school
year.

Also last week, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)
called for a re-examination of school safety measures because of
all of the recent shooting tragedies.

The NCPC offers prevention advice to school administrators,
teachers, students, parents and law enforcement