Glen Rock High School has been around for decades -- it's made of brick and steel, and is sturdy as they come. But in this day and age, it's proving to be a problem, because police and emergency radios can't penetrate the thick walls in an emergency.
Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said the fear is what would happen to his officers and the students in an active shooter situation.
"If I were on this radio trying to speak to an officer or an EMT or a firefighter in the school, I would not be able to communicate with them," he said.
"The officers would not be able to notify responding officers where they were, they would not be able to call for assistance," he continued. "They would not be able to notify EMTs where injured people might be."
Parents say they weren't aware of the issue.
"I had no clue about this... it's terrifying," said Kelly Clifford.
Councilman William Huisking has been working on the problem for years, and believes the school needs to be retrofitted with proper technology so that the radios will work everywhere.
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"Let's bring the experts in technology so we know what kind of antennas we may or may not need on the roof, and all of the feeder lines that we would need for repeaters," he said. "Get it done right the first time."
But it won't be cheap. His best guess is possibly a couple hundred thousand dollars. The Glen Rock Board of Education has not allocated the money.
Parent Kelly Clifford said, "Absolutely the money needs to go there."
"I think there’s several people in this community that would raise money that would do anything to put our kids in a safe environment," she said.
