Pethick pushes security audit Superintendent wants to see if there is room for improvement. Wednesday, August 01, 2007 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | With somewhere around 100 entrances on the Phillipsburg High School campus alone, Superintendent Gordon Pethick wants to make sure that district grounds are as secure as possible. The district has received a proposal for a district-wide security audit that school board members are expected to consider. "We want to make sure our resources are maximized and to do that, I believe it's smart to bring in a firm that does this type of investigation and audits," Pethick said. The district already employs roughly a dozen security guards, has a camera system and a Phillipsburg police substation at the high school. Phillipsburg police also patrol school grounds, town Police Chief Ed Mirenda said. Pethick thinks it's wise to look to an outside firm to evaluate the system and determine if there's room for improvement. The audit could include building tours, interviewing security staff, interacting with local police and officials among other measures, Pethick said. They auditors would consider how the district could handle different scenarios such as a student threatening violence or an intruder on school grounds. Pethick didn't name an exact cost but said an audit could have a price tag of $20,000 to $40,000. A school board sub-committee is expected to meet Thursday and could recommend the full board discuss the proposal at a regular meeting. The firm National School Safety and Security Services, out of Cleveland, Ohio, submitted the proposal. The district consists of four elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, alternative learning secondary school and an early childhood center. Pethick said the 31 trailers on the high school grounds are a potential security trouble spot. "Having trailers on campus increases your security concerns," he said. "Again, the trailers right now are a fact of life and we have to deal with those facts and make sure our children are protected." School security director Bill Merrick could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Board President Paul Rummerfield hadn't reviewed the proposal Tuesday night but said school security has remained one of the board's highest priorities over the years, regardless of the trailer situation. "I think security is an issue on every parent's mind -- whether it's Phillipsburg or any other place," Rummerfield said. He doesn't think it would hurt to have another set of eyes on the district's security system. Mirenda said between the district's own security measures and coordination with his department, schools have adequate security provisions. It would be ideal to station a police officer at the high school, but the department doesn't have the resources to do so, he said. "I think they're doing what they can," Mirenda said. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.