Plan for emergencies

Published in the Asbury Park Press 9/21/04

An Asbury Park Press editorial

The aftermath of the fire that left Matawan and Aberdeen middle school students without usable classrooms should be a lesson to school districts everywhere. Just as emergency management officials have evacuation plans in place, school officials should devise plans to educate their students in the event an emergency renders their facilities unusable.

The "what if" planning should begin with an inventory of municipal buildings, community centers, churches and other organizations with available space that could be used as classrooms for an extended period of time.

The Matawan Avenue Middle School was closed after a suspicious Labor Day fire destroyed at least 7,000 square feet of roofing. School officials began staggered sessions yesterday and hope to be open completely within the next few weeks. Earlier this month, volunteer parents and teachers began running staggered sessions for the students at the Community Center.

About 1,000 youngsters from Matawan and Aberdeen were affected by the delay, which was an unwelcome surprise for many parents who found themselves wondering where to send their children and how the district would reschedule the missed classroom time -- a question that has yet to be answered.

Relocating an entire school is a huge undertaking. Having an emergency plan in place could make it less onerous for students, parents and teachers alike.