By Andrew Rowan and Andrew Shah

In the aftermath of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead, Moorestown Friends School administrators have a clear message: Moorestown Friends students are safe. However, not all students feel that way.

“It’s been very intense,” said Head of School Larry Van Meter when asked about what it has been like to process the events in Parkland, “[I’m trying to understand] what impact events like this have on all of us.”

Upper School Director Meredith Godley said she is trying to get a sense for where her “various constituents are.” She explained that because individual people react so differently to an event like the Parkland shooting, it has been “trickier than…anticipated” to figure out the needs of both the faculty and the students. She referenced the Upper School forum for discussion, which has been postponed due to the March 7 snow day, as a starting point for giving students a place to share what they’re feeling.

“I think there’s the idea of keeping people safe and making people feel safe. After an incident, [we’re] reassuring people that they feel safe, and we are doing what we are supposed to be doing [in terms of school security. We’re] checking our systems and making sure they are up to date,” said Godley.

Some uneasiness from the students has arisen from potential vulnerabilities in the school’s open campus layout.  Senior Izzy Pillows told WordsWorth that fellow students have noticed the potential “danger” of the Meeting House, as it is an unlocked space where hundreds of people gather. Juniors Mya Corsey, Courtney Tarter, and T’Shay McNeil all cited the openness of the Hartman Hall path as a potential threat. “I see people walking their dogs on the path all the time, but it’s private property — they shouldn’t be on the path at all,” said Corsey. McNeil noted how she feels “vulnerable” when walking on the path after school in the winter, when it is dark early in the afternoon. “I don’t like how anyone could just walk up,” said McNeil. Tarter agreed with these sentiments, adding that the Dining Hall, like the Meeting House, is also a spot that is an unlocked gathering place for students and faculty.

Van Meter responded to the assessment that because of its open, college-like campus, MFS is a potential target: “I would disagree with that.” Van Meter compared the school’s campus to that of a small liberal arts college nearby, as well as other independent and boarding schools in the area.

Moorestown Police Chief Lee Lieber said that those in law enforcement believe the more security the better, but said that “that obviously has to be balanced against making a school educationally friendly.” Leiber noted that MFS was unique given that students and staff are moving from different buildings throughout the day. When asked whether it was safe to have the school’s main entrances unlocked during school hours, Leiber said, “[the department’s] feeling is that the doors should be locked whenever reasonably possible when the buildings are occupied during school hours.”

Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Schlotterbeck told WordsWorth “the school is taking these recommendations seriously.”

Van Meter said that despite the similarities between Parkland, Florida and Moorestown, New Jersey, “the concern is not really with strangers [of the township],” though the school still needs to be “attentive” to strangers.

The Head of School acknowledged the “nice people…who walk their dogs” and “cut through” the Hartman Hall driveway on the path and the added level of security with the Hartman Hall keypads, but repeated that the concern is not with strangers.

“Because these incidents are done by current or former students, the fact that we have an open, college-like setting, to me, does not heighten the risk of something happening. I feel like we’re safe,” Van Meter added.  

Van Meter stated this point in his February 27 email to Middle and Upper School students, which was also forwarded to parents. “Shootings or acts of school violence of any kind that are carried out by strangers are exceedingly rare,” Van Meter wrote, “[h]ere at MFS, our students are happy, thoughtful, and well-adjusted.” Van Meter went on to explain MFS’s rigorous process of admitting new students to the school.

“I feel like that’s an ideal situation for a Head of School [to think of his students] but, in reality, I think there’s a lot of stress, especially [with those students] who are in the college process,” said Junior Lauren Radack.

Van Meter told WordsWorth that there is “no question” that “some students go through a rough patch,” but his statement was more intended to be a “general statement,” adding that he thinks it “really is true,” noting how well-adjusted the students were. In his email, Van Meter pointed to the school’s low counselor to student ratio to support his claim that students who are in need of help can receive it.

The division directors also shared this sentiment. Middle School Director Kimberly Clarkson said it’s “not just a matter of [the fact that teachers and administrators] know who people are but [they] really know the students…[we] can tell when someone is having a bad day.” Clarkson explained an anecdote where she saw an off look from a Middle School student, and she went to check in with that student’s teacher, as she could tell something was different. “It’s pretty hard to be anonymous and not be supported. People want to help others here,” added Clarkson.

The directors pointed to the advisory program in the Middle and Upper School and the classroom teachers in the Lower School as primary contact points for students for support.

Even in the Lower School, students’ well being is being monitored, according to Lower School Director Kelly Banik. “We’re always talking about how students are doing academically, socially, [and] emotionally,” she said.

The directors said that, due to privacy settings in social media, they are not able to monitor students’ social media. “Any student who sees a concern [in a social media post] even not related to school security should reach out,” said Clarkson. Godley added that people may think that they can only reach out if the post relates to school security, but they can share it “even if it just makes students uncomfortable.” Issues can be resolved anonymously, the directors clarified.

After the events in Parkland, Van Meter wrote that the school was reviewing its security policies. Van Meter told WordsWorth that the administration modifies and updates security plans “on a regular basis”; however, due to the confidential nature of a crisis plan, the school is only able to share that they are continuing to work on it. “There may very well be some things that students and parents see are different [on campus] as a result of our work, but we will not share a lot of detail because of the crucial confidentiality,” said Van Meter.

Many of the students WordsWorth interviewed said their classes have discussed, in some form, MFS’s security.

Security – FoxTracks from MFS WordsWorth on Vimeo. 
WordsWorth’s January 2018 feature on school security.

MFS has two receptionists, Charmaine Goldsmith and Chuck Viggiano, who greet all visitors when they enter though Stokes Hall. Front Desk Coordinator Charmaine Goldsmith compared her job to that of an “air traffic controller. Some days I have people coming in left and right, the phones running off the hook, but I still keep a watchful eye.” She said that after the events in Parkland, parents have been more cooperative when entering the building and signing in before proceeding. “Most of my day I’m watching people’s body language as they come down the stairs from the street. If they don’t make eye contact with me or something seems off, I have some immediate methods to get help.” She spoke about delivery drivers coming on the side buildings and how she does not allow them in if she doesn’t know for sure who they are. “When students forget their code at Hartman Hall and call me, I ask for their name look up their photo in the picture directory because you never know,” she said.

When students stream in after Meeting for Worship, Goldsmith described how she stands up and picks visitors or non-students out. “There’s a lot more to this job than answering phones,” said Goldsmith. She also described how she and the afternoon Front Desk Coordinator, retired police officer Chuck Viggiano, speak about what has happened in the morning and what visitors are expected during Viggiano’s afternoon shift.

Van Meter spoke of upcoming meetings with Chief Lee Leiber of the Moorestown Police Department to hear the department’s recommendations. The meeting took place on campus on March 5th, several days after Van Meter’s interview with WordsWorth.  “We discussed our township-wide program of officers regularly but randomly doing walkthroughs of our schools,” explained Chief Leiber in an email, “limiting access to school buildings during the day, Photos IDs for staff and students, and monitored Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) inside and outside of buildings on campus.”

Schlotterbeck again said the school is taking the recommendations seriously.

Van Meter addressed the speculation that MFS does not have CCTV due to the school’s Quaker values and said that the culture at MFS is one of “openness and trust,” but it is also balanced with Quaker recognition for police and law enforcement in communities.  He again stated that MFS is equally open in comparison with other private schools in the area, but said that the school will “continue to look at” the possibility for monitoring the Hartman Hall Path, which currently has no form of monitoring.

“I think the path is terrifying. There should be something out their monitoring out there what goes on. There should be a speaker out there telling you if there’s a lockdown, because how would you know if you’re on the path?” said Junior Blythe Salamone.

Van Meter stated that the school has not considered an armed guard.

The Moorestown Police Department only assists schools by invitation, according to Chief Lieber: “We are not experts in school building security and recommend that the schools utilize an accredited professional to review and suggest building hardening techniques.” [Moorestown] Friends School senior staff receive various security and public safety information as stakeholders in our Township Emergency Management Program regularly via email.”

Schlotterbeck told WordsWorth that the school “is in the process of engaging a school security consultant.”

Being a three-division school, Moorestown Friends faculty have communicated the event at Stoneman Douglas differently to students. In Lower School, some parents do not want their child to know about what happened in Parkland, while others feel differently, according to Banik. “It’s tricky waters to navigate…Part of my role is making sure that [Lower School teachers] feel prepared should the topic come up and if there is a child who feels scared that [faculty] are comfortable engaging in conversation with that child.” Clarkson and Godley said their divisions are aware of what happened, but their students are at different levels when it comes to discussing the events of Parkland.

In the weeks following the shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the nationwide outcry for increased gun control and increased school security has reached an all-time high. Just a few miles away from Moorestown Friends, a history teacher at Cherry Hill East High School in Cherry Hill, NJ, was suspended by the school’s administration after communicating his belief to his students that the school’s security policies were not strong enough.  

After the Cherry Hill Public School’s administration was made aware of the conversation, they met with the teacher (Timothy Locke) before officially deciding to suspend him. Students at the school were outraged, and were curious as to why a teacher was unable to share his opinion.  In regards to Moorestown Friends School, Van Meter told WordsWorth that, “We [MFS] do not have an official position [on teachers discussing security policies with students], as so much of what we do here is informal.”  

Van Meter continued on to say that MFS encourages faculty and staff to bring their concerns about school security to administration so that any issues with security can be discussed and addressed.  To support this claim, Van Meter cited teachers notifying administration that the PA system was unable to be heard in the woodshop over noise produced by the machinery. Furthermore, Van Meter stated , “Reports like these come to us quite often, and we spend quite a bit of money addressing them.”          

These issues are discussed during Ad Council Meetings.  The Ad (Administration) Council at Moorestown Friends is a team of eleven people, comprised of Van Meter, Godley, Clarkson, Banik, Academic Dean and Associate Head of School Chris Kimberly, Director of Diversity & Inclusion Karen Washington, Athletic Director Danielle Dayton, Director of Finance and Operations Lisa Carbone Warren, Director of Auxiliary Programs Martha Cameron, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Admissions Rachel (Tilney) Niezelski, and Director of Development Steve Zakroff.  When asked how often Ad Council discusses school shootings, Van Meter told WordsWorth, “We don’t meet after every shooting, but we meet so frequently as it is that an event like a shooting will go on the agenda immediately.” Van Meter explained that the agenda for any given meeting is created on a shared Google Doc and can be amended up until a meeting starts.  As for the frequency of the meetings, Van Meter said that Ad Council meets once in a six day rotation.

On March 4, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) released an open letter to state and federal elected officials, which Van Meter signed, calling for the “enact[ion] of clear and comprehensive legislation that will deny unrestricted access to military-grade guns and ammunition.”

NJAIS Heads of School Speak Out for School Safety:
An Open Letter to State and Federal Elected Officials pic.twitter.com/DZkC6xQwEo

— NJAIS (@NJAISnews) March 4, 2018

Tuesday afternoon, Van Meter signed, with 69 other Quaker Heads of School, a statement of support on student activism around gun violence from the Friends Council. The statement said in part: “We urge our country’s leaders to listen deeply and carefully to our young people.”

In his letter to Middle and Upper School students, Van Meter wrote “as a Quaker and your Head of School, I feel strongly that the idea of arming teachers is a bad idea…introducing firearms in a school setting may lead to unintended consequences that actually make students less, rather than more, safe.”

Finally, Van Meter listed ways students can play active roles in contributing to the sense of community as it relates to school security. First, he said, if any student sees what they perceive to be a physical threat, they should call 9-1-1. If a student becomes concerned about something they’ve seen on social media or through chatter, “we hope a student would go to their division director or any trusted adult to report it.”

Van Meter pointed to student activism as an “important part [of change]. What was separated the aftermath of the events in Florida from previous tragedies is the level of student involvement, which is all to the good.”

The division directors and Van Meter said that students would be allowed to participate in the 17 minute walk-out in March 14. Many students did attend the walk-out, and stood alongside faculty and staff during the 17 minutes.

The directors dismissed the notion that the administration was “organizing” the walk out instead of the students; Godley said that with a three-division school they wanted to make sure everyone was “supervised inside and out…I wouldn’t qualify it as the administration organizing.” Godley added that she didn’t have a single student come up to her to be part of the planning. The administration accepted the Junior and Senior Class Officers’ request to organize elements of the walk out after the officers sent a request a week after the interview. Middle School students were also invited to walk out if they choose. Faculty were allowed to walk out if their classes had coverage.

Some photos from today's walkout at MFS #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/6vt3J6qmIn

— MFS WordsWorth (@MFSWordsWorth) March 14, 2018

“I hope students take leadership,” said Van Meter, “I also hope everyone will retain an open mind and will be able to entertain the reality that there are other interpretations that can be made by responsible students. I don’t want anyone to feel marginalized or disregarded by anyone here, certainly not teachers or students.”