There are security cameras and locking systems, redesigned vestibules and even new blinking traffic lights near two schools.

But beyond the physical changes, there is also an Emergency Preparedness Task Force and a “Team Guardian.” There are regular meetings held three times a year, among school officials, police, firefighters, and others in the community, where group members identify safety concerns and propose actions. All of these activities have a common goal: making the township’s schools safe and secure.

Project Guardian, which was cited by the NJSBA School Security Task Force in its 2014 report, What Makes Schools Safe?, is a comprehensive school safety program, that started when school officials and the township began building relationships in 2004. Those relationships have grown stronger over time.

Burlington Township school officials also described the project in NJSBA’s 2013 Safe and Secure Schools forum, saying that “safety and security’ is not only about the systems and the hardware, but also fostering a broad-based community partnership.

Information

Contact: Mary Ann Bell, assistant superintendent for business and operations, [email protected]

Online: http://www.burltwpsch.org/index.php?id=337

Cited in the NJSBA School Security Task Force’s 2014 report, What Makes Schools Safe?