To better prepare school officials and law enforcement to respond to emergencies on school grounds, such as an active shooter scenario, legislation sponsored by Assemblymen Gary Schaer, Clinton Calabrese and Chris Tully to require New Jersey schools to provide maps and blueprints of campuses to police was signed into law Friday by Governor Phil Murphy.
“Every second counts during an emergency,” said Schaer (D-Bergen, Passaic). “Providing law enforcement with this information in advance can help save time and lives during a crisis.”
The new law (formerly bill A-4112) requires public and nonpublic schools to give local law enforcement authorities a copy of the current blueprints and maps for all schools and school grounds within the district, including nonpublic schools. If a school is located in a municipality with no municipal police department, a copy of the blueprints and maps will be provided to an entity designated by the Superintendent of State Police.
“If officers have knowledge of the layout of a school, they have a tremendous advantage if they need to respond to a threat,” said Calabrese (D-Bergen, Passaic). “It’s imperative that we make sure law enforcement has the tools they need to protect students and staff.”
“Tragically, we’ve seen far too many schools across the country face active shooter threats and other emergencies,” said Tully (D-Bergen, Passaic). “We must do everything possible to ensure our first responders are prepared and ready to address any emergency situation.”
The measure passed the full Assembly in March, 76-0-1.