School: Good procedure kept everyone safe

| 19 Sep 2014 | 04:57

From left, at Thursday night's meeting: Delaware Valley elementary school Principal James Purcell and school board members Jack O'Leary and Jessica Decker.

By Anya Tikka
DINGMANS FERRY — Dingman-Delaware Middle School is on Route 739, less than 10 miles from last week’s fatal police shooting at the Blooming Grove state police barracks. Parents were on edge.

"Starting out on that crazy Tuesday night after they named who the shooter was, and identified the location, everybody was concerned," said Superintendent John Bell at the end of Thursday's school board in the Dingman-Delaware cafeteria. "Parents were very concerned and called the principals, or the Delaware (district) office. Ninety-nine percent thanked us profusely after our conversation because they felt much better. We’ve been trying to communicate everything and will keep on doing so just so people know what’s going on. So I want to say, thank you, parents,, for that."

The alleged shooter, Eric Matthew Frein, is still at large, and said to be armed and extremely dangerous. Three area schools — East Stroudsburg, Pocono Mountain, and Wallenpaupack — closed this week, citing "increased law enforcement activity" in the area.

Board member Jack O'Leary said Thursday that he visited every school in the Delaware Valley district after the suspect was named to make sure all was well.

“Part of my job is school safety," O'Leary said. "I have to tell you, I was very, very impressed by the safety in schools.”

He continued: “It’s a scary thing. Parents were frustrated, they were scared by something happening so near here. I made calls, I went around to every single school in the district very fast, and what I witnessed was every school did a great job. Everywhere I went, they were all out there, teachers, school counselors, to greet the kids get off the buses. It went really well. Eastern Regional, Sheriff’s Department, I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

He thanked the bus drivers as well.

School board chair Pam Lufty thanked O’Leary and administration, saying, “Keep it up.”

On behalf of the board, Bell wished Trooper Alex T. Douglass and his family a speedy recovery and offered condolences to the family of the fallen Trooper, Cpl. Bryon Dickson.

“I want to thank everybody in the community," said Bell.