Foxborough Receives $2K School Security Grant from Norfolk County DA

Editor's note: The following press release was submitted for publication by the Norfolk County District Attorney's office.

National and local experts on school safety issues – ranging from violent intruder defense strategies and protecting schools from explosives to the more subtle violence of bullying in cyberspace and in middle school – came together with more than 150 local educators and police at District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey’s 2012 School Security Summit last week.

Six from Foxborough attended and came away with news that the town is receiving a School Security grant from Morrissey for $2,000 for the purchase and installation of security cameras, digital recorder and monitor at Foxborough High School. The grants are drawn on funds seized from drug dealers and forfeited during court proceedings, then repurposed for public safety.

“We are doing all we can to make Norfolk County’s schools as safe as possible, and we appreciate Foxborough’s partnership,” District Attorney Morrissey said after the Summit, which was attended by Foxborough Police Chief Edward O’Leary, high school assistant principal Joe Heinricher, Superintendent Debbie Spinelli, guidance counselor Laureen White, high school principal Diana Myers-Pachla and athletic director Caitlin Brown.

“Tragic, deadly events in other areas of the country have taught law enforcement and school officials valuable lessons on what works and what does not to keep students safe,” Morrissey said. “We were able to use monies confiscated from and forfeited by drug dealers to bring in experts from as far away as Texas to talk about the very real threats students face and hopefully provide local officials with additional tools to avoid those problems.”

Greg Crane from Response Options in Burleson, Texas presented on best practices on violent intruders; Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Senior Special Agent Jessica Gotthold from New Jersey spoke about protecting schools from those threats; attorneys Matthew MacAvoy and Michael Joyce from Marshfield provided guidance on information sharing among school districts and law enforcement. A trio from Deana’s Educational Theater in Wakefield previewed “Girl Chat,” a play they perform at schools across the region to explore, and help mitigate, middle school bullying and violence.

“We also took the opportunity to announce the new bullying and cyber-bullying resources that we have developed with the Norfolk Advocates for Children in Foxborough, which school departments can access at no cost,” Morrissey said.  “It is our hope that every school in every one of our towns is a little bit safer today because so many schools and police joined us in this effort, and came away with additional resources.”