The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

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Scotch Plains – Fanwood THE TIMES

OUR 42ND YEAR – ISSUE NO. 542 Published Every Thursday USPS 485200

Periodical – Postage Paid at Scotch Plains, N. J. Thursday, February 3, 2000

of

— Serving Scotch Plains and Fanwood Since 1959 —

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

INDEX

A& E............... Page 22 Business ........ Page 17 Classifieds ..... Page 20

Editorial ........ Page 4 Education....... Page 8, 9 Obituary ........ Page 10

Religious ....... Page 11 Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 13

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Scotch Plains Freshman Rescues Fellow Student in Seton Hall Blaze

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

USS New Jersey Battleship Becomes Permanently Housed in Camden Waterfront Instead of Bayonne; Local Supporters Hope for Best Proposal for World Languages

In Elementary Grades Tabled By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Times

Discussion of the proposed World Languages Program for Scotch PlainsFanwood elementary students took a back seat to the facilities and enrollment controversy at the January 27 Board of Education meeting.

Despite a visible show of support by members of the World Languages Department, the board ultimately voted to table its discussion until February.

It has been over a year since World Languages Supervisor Helga Thomas first came before the board to talk about instituting a world language program in the elementary schools. Under the state’s core curriculum content standards, elementary students will be required to demonstrate a certain degree of spoken foreign language proficiency by the fourth grade come the 20012002 school year.

The proposal on the table calls for foreign language instruction to begin September 2000 in the second grade with one of four languages being taught at each elementary school: French at Brunner, Spanish at Coles and Evergreen, German at McGinn and Italian at School One. The language selection for each school was determined by the district’s

Administrative Council, which includes the principals of the various schools.

The program would include 60 minutes per week of direct language instruction, six lessons each of integrated instruction in art, music and media, and a weekly 30minute lunch session with the foreign language teacher.

According to Ms. Thomas, the program selected is “meant to approximate as much as possible the way a child learned his first language.” Puppets, role playing, taped songs, and storybooks are all based in the target language.

As if to emphasize a fun, lowkey approach to the program, Ms. Thomas said, “We’ll grade (students) on their willingness to participate in activities.”

This philosophy does not seem to jive with the assessment piece of

the “Key Concepts for an Effective Elementary World Language Program” dated September 1999. That concept reads: “Assessment will be based on performance and oral proficiency at the earliest stages of instruction.”

From the audience, one Scotch Plains resident criticized the proposal “taking 30 minutes away from the lunch period.”

The woman stated, “I wouldn’t expect you to ask a teacher to give up 30 minutes of her lunch.”

In a letter to the board stating her preference for Spanish in every school rather than a different language, Scotch Plains resident Heidi Sweeney stated, “When we set out to do what no other school district has done before us, a parent cannot help but ask the question ‘Why? ’... What happened to the concept of consistency that our administration espoused so strongly during the leveling debate last year? I want my child to learn a world language that he’ll find just as useful in life as the child in the neighboring elementary school.”

Board members Jean McAllister, Thomas Russo and Edward J. Saridaki, Jr. collectively opposed the proposal in a letter to the superintendent and their fellow board

By DEBORAH MADISON

Specially Written for The Times

When the fire alarms sounded at Seton Hall University’s Boland Dormitory at 4: 30 a. m. on the morning of January 19, Scotch Plains native and Seton Hall freshman, Marissa Lorenz, and her friend assumed it was just another false alarm.

Since the beginning of the school year, more than 18 false alarms had been erroneously set off as pranks by students, according to various news reports.

“Many students had learned to just ignore them,” Marissa stated.

However, Marissa and Justin Fox, who were in her dormitory room at the time, became aware that something was terribly wrong when they heard screams coming from the outer hallway. Marissa’s dormitory room, which she shared with two other roommates, led into a common room, which in turn led into the residence hall’s outer hallway.

When Marissa, a lifelong Scotch Plains resident and 1999 Scotch PlainsFanwood High School graduate, opened the door of her dormitory room, she and Justin saw thick billows of black smoke pouring in through the top of the common room door from the hallway.

The two then rushed to open the common room door to discover thick black smoke filling the hallway from floor to ceiling.

“People were screaming and running in every direction,” Marissa

recalled during a recent interview with The Westfield Leader and The Times of Scotch PlainsFanwood.

“Everyone was in a panic and it was total chaos.”

“We quickly shut the door to prevent the black smoke from pouring into the common room,” Marissa related.

As she rushed back into her dorm room to awaken her two sleeping roommates, Justin said that he heard someone moaning and yelling for help in the outer hallway. The two grabbed sweaters to cover their noses and they opened the common room door to the hallway. On her hands

Guidelines Explained For BOE Candidacies

By MELISSA A. BETKOWSKI

Specially Written for The Times

Monday, February 28 is this year’s deadline to apply to be a school board candidate in the state of New Jersey.

According to Mike Yaple, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), school boards “chart the educational path for your community.”

Potential candidates must be able to read and write, must be U. S. citizens with at least one year of residence in the district where the individual wants to be considered a candidate for the board. Also, Mr. Yaple said, the individual must have “no contract with or claim against the board. He or she must not be the mayor or a member of another municipal governing body.” Finally, the individual must be a registered voter.

The NJSBA, Mr. Yaple said, holds candidate briefings throughout the state before elections. These briefings help prepare the candidates for the task of being a school board member. One will be held on Monday, March 13, at 7: 15 p. m. at North Brunswick High School on Raider Road in North Brunswick.

Mr. Yaple said that most candidates think that they will be working with the students and performing tasks like choosing books, “when in reality they spend their time on the big picture, setting goals for the district.” He said there are three main areas of involvement for the board of education — budget, contract negotiations and superintendent evaluations, which are all required by law.

“It is the board of education’s job to provide the goals for the district

Mr. Saridaki dislikes the idea of “channeling children” into a specific language. He also pointed to scheduling concerns and cost implications as children move into middle and high school.

Courtesy of the US Navy

FINDING A HOME… The USS New Jersey Battleship, known as the most decorated warship in U. S. naval history, recently found its permanent home in the Camden waterfront. The state’s Battleship New Jersey Commission had also proposed the waterfront of Bayonne as a possible home base for the battleship. By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Times

Navy Secretary Richard Danzig announced on January 20 that the

USS New Jersey, the most decorated warship in U. S. naval history, will be permanently berthed at the waterfront of Camden, rather than on the Hudson waterfront at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne as proposed by the state’s Battleship New Jersey Commission.

Gordon Bishop, Media Director for the Battleship New Jersey Foundation, called the judgment a “political decision.”

“It wasn’t based on the fact that the Battleship Commission had 75 to 85 percent support statewide . . . in the public and private sector,” added Mr. Bishop. “They (Home Port Alliance) can brag about their outofstate support. Look what they have in New Jersey.”

He spoke to the influence of Ed Rendell, a former twoterm Mayor of Philadelphia and present Chairman of the National Democratic Party. “If Philadelphia hadn’t

partnered with Camden, they never would have gotten it.”

The Navy, however, praised the contents of the 1,700page site application from the Board of Trustees of the Home Port Alliance. The 12member board was cofounded by Senator John J. Matheussen (R4th), Camden County Freeholder Patricia Jones and Camden Mayor Milton Milan.

In its coverage of the Navy decision, the Camden Courier Post portrayed the decision as a victory for south Jersey that goes beyond the battleship to the opportunity to thumb its nose at the north.

For the people behind the scenes, however, those who have worked passionately for years to bring home the Battleship New Jersey, it was never about location.

It was about preserving a piece of history and returning a namesake to its home state. It was about patriotism and taking ownership of a symbol of freedom and service to country. It was never about north versus south. It was never about politics.

That is why some of the comments reported in the Courier stung people like retired Navy serviceman William W. Sheppard and his wife, Carol.

“After some of the real good, even super, things we did, we’re wondering, do we have a place in its future?”, wondered Mrs. Sheppard.

The Sheppards, along with hundreds of members of the Elks, Masons, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America, sponsored or participated in 180 events over the past three years to raise awareness and money to bring the battleship home as members of the Battleship New Jersey Foundation.

From their Fanwood home, the Sheppards spearheaded the battleship Commemorative Sales program. They supported the Flags Across America program that flies 24 speciallymade American flags (manufactured and donated by Annin Flag Company) at events around the country to promote awareness of the battleship.

They credit veterans, students, schools, women’s clubs, libraries and Junior ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) members for responding to the call to action wherever they went.

According to Mr. Sheppard, part

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Last Year’s Bickering Absent From SP 2000 Budget Talks

By FRED ROSSI

Specially Written for The Times

The Scotch Plains Township Council has started its month of meetings to craft a municipal budget for 2000, with Township Manager Thomas E. Atkins proposing a spending plan that calls for a 2.2 percent increase in local government appropriations this year.

While actual dollar amounts could change somewhat over the course of the three budget meetings slated for this month, it seems certain the council will avoid a good deal of the partisan fireworks of a year ago, when Republicans criticized the thenDemocratic majority for proposing a local property tax increase of 6 percent, later cut to 5 percent, to pay for a 6.5 percent increase in township government expenditures.

The $17,156,122 appropriations recommendation for 2000 represents an increase of $364,787, or 2.2 percent, over the 1999 level of $16,791,335.

Decisions on this year’s property tax levy will be made by the council

after the appropriations side of the municipal ledger is finalized.

Mr. Atkins, who called his task in assembling the spending recommendations a “very difficult” endeavor, listed six major reasons for the nearly $365,000 in spending increases. Nearly half of the total ($ 167,581) would go toward increased police department salaries and wages, while close to one fourth ($ 78,820) is earmarked for additional health insurance costs.

Most departments in township government would see increases, albeit it small ones, in their budgets this year, under Mr. Atkins’ recommendations.

The police department’s budget would increase more than 7 percent, while the fire department would see a budget boost of just over 3.5 percent.

The township Environmental Commission’s budget this year would increase by nearly 4 percent.

The recommended funding for parks and recreation in 2000 is 3.7 percent higher than the 1999 level.

Mr. Atkins is proposing a 3.3 percent increase in funding for the township library. The health department’s budget this year would be nearly 17 percent higher than in 1999, but most of that increase would be earmarked for securing a new, and more costly, animal control service, something that seems likely given the problems being experienced by Garden State Kennels, which currently handles this service for Scotch Plains.

The 2000 spending proposal also anticipates a fresh $100,000 grant from the Union County Pocket Park program. However, Mr. Atkins told

The Times that the governing body can achieve the same goals through a capital improvement ordinance if the county does not award Pocket Park funds this year.

Budget meetings began last night, with additional sessions scheduled for Wednesdays, February 9 and 16. Officials hope the budget can be formally introduced in early March.

At its agenda meeting on Tuesday

David B. Corbin for The Times SOON TO BECOME SCARLET KNIGHTS… Scotch PlainsFanwood High School football standouts, seated left to right, Nathan Jones, Bob Dinsmore and Ron Jenerette, prepare to sign their letters of intent to Rutgers University. The trio received full football scholarships to play for the Scarlet Knights. Standing, left to right, are: Francine Jones (husband Jonathan was absent from photo), Bob Dinsmore, Raider Head Football Coach Steve Ciccotelli, Maggie Dinsmore, Wendy Jenerette and Ronald Jenerette.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Page 12 Thursday, February 3, 2000 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

USS New Jersey Battleship Becomes Camden Resident

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

members. Mrs. McAllister specified that the “fundamental flaw in the proposal in one of equity.”

“We talk about consistency across the district,” she explained in an telephone interview following the board meeting. “Even if we are offering foreign language across the district, a different one for everybody is not equitable.”

Board member Lance Porter reiterated his objections to the arbitrary assignment of different languages to different schools.

“The problem I have is taking parental choice away at this early stage of development,” stated Mr. Porter.

Board member Richard Meade questioned how Scotch PlainsFanwood High School’s world language program would accommodate and challenge students who elect to continue studying their elementary foreign language through middle school into high school.

Mr. Russo is concerned about dif ferent languages at different schools.

He wondered how students who move from one school to another would adapt to learning a different foreign language. In commenting on the opportunity in sixth and ninth grade where students could switch languages, Mr. Russo said, “What they take at the elementary level will follow them. They will be at a distinct disadvantage if they switch.”

Mr. Saridaki dislikes the idea of “channeling children” into a specific language. He also pointed to scheduling concerns and cost implications as children move into middle and high school.

His motion to table the proposal at that point in the meeting was defeated by Board President Theresa Larkin, Vice President Dr. Donald Sheldon, Mr. Meade, Mr. Porter, Mr. Ruggiero and Mrs. Simpson. Only Mrs. McAllister and Mr. Russo voted in favor of tabling the proposal.

As discussion ensued, Mr. Meade called the existing proposal “too complicated.” He suggested exploring the idea of two languages per elementary school with one teacher capable of teaching both.

“It’s a middleground approach rather than one language versus four,” said Mr. Meade.

He brushed off Mrs. Simpson’s accusation that his proposal “would dismantle the foreign language program in this district.”

Mrs. Larkin bristled at the reluctance of certain of her colleagues to support the administration’s proposal.

“This is a very good first step proposal. They’ve asked us to trust them to implement it,” said Mrs. Larkin, who added that criticisms and questions regarding the proposal were “insulting to the foreign language people.”

Dr. Choye objected to Dr. Sheldon’s suggestion that the board itself come up with an alternative proposal for the world language program since members could not support the present recommendation.

At that point, Dr. Sheldon moved to table the discussion. The motion passed by a vote of 63. This time, Mr. Saridaki, Mr. Porter and Mrs. McAllister voted against the motion, while Mrs. Larkin, Dr. Sheldon, Mr. Meade, Mr. Ruggiero, Mrs. Simpson and Mr. Russo voted in favor of it.

Following the vote, Mr. Saridaki defended the board’s right to question the administration, calling it “our job.” He said some of objections to the proposal have never been addressed by the administration over the course of discussion.

Deliberations will resume at the February 10 board meeting.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of the charge to members of the Battleship New Jersey Foundation was to remain “siteneutral” regarding a permanent berth for the USS

New Jersey.

Originally, there were several sites under consideration. The preferred location, a berth at Liberty State Park, was so cost prohibitive that the Battleship New Jersey Commission ultimately recommended the Military Ocean Terminal site in Bayonne across from New York City as the most viable, if temporary, alternative. The door was left ajar for a future move to Liberty State Park.

Remaining siteneutral, the grassroots movement of the Foundation focused its message on the importance of bringing the ship home and preserving it as an educational museum — a lasting tribute to every branch of the armed services.

Despite these efforts, there has been little, if any, mention of the little people from the north in the media coverage that followed the Navy Secretary’s decision.

In fact, Mr. Sheppard said he contacted the office of Congressman Bob Andrews (D1st) as soon as he heard the news about Camden, knowing that those who supported the Hudson waterfront site would be grossly disappointed.

“Please get something positive out for the people of north Jersey,” he asked.

Despite this, Mrs. Sheppard said, “We think they’ll (Home Port Alliance) do a good job. It’s a topofthemark application, and sounds like a really glorious plan. It’s just personally disappointing... we were so convinced that (Hudson waterfront) was the right place for it to be.”

Mr. Sheppard is amazed by the number of phone calls he has received since the Navy’s announcement.

“They’re calling us and we’re nobody,” he said. They want to know, “What’s next?” He is disappointed that “the personal end of the Battleship New Jersey effort has been a low priority. (It became) a fight between two sides and it left the people out.”

As if to counter those kinds of concerns, Senator Matheussen emphasized the Battleship New Jersey was really awarded to the state, “to all the people of New Jersey.”

He added, “The tremendous grassroots support (for our plan) in south Jersey encompassed the whole state when it came to supporting the ship.”

“The New Jersey Battleship Foundation has been a very neutral group of folks who worked very hard in creating awareness and generating funds,” he emphasized. “We want to include and invite everyone to participate as they have before and in new ways as the Home Port Alliance takes over care of the ship. We hope to keep everyone involved.”

The Alliance plans a $13 million to $15 million project to transform the USS New Jersey into a floating memorial museum. Once the ship actually opens to the public, it will cost nearly $4 million to operate the museum during the first year.

In addition to restoring the ship itself, the Alliance must build a 650foot pier and 400foot walkway that connects the pier to the shore.

According to retired United States Navy Capt. David McGuigan, President of the Alliance and one of the authors of the application, the walkway will trace the history of the battleship in keeping with the Alliance’s catchphrase, “birthplace to berthplace.”

After its December 7, 1942, launch from Philadelphia, the USS New Jersey

served in the Pacific during World War II and, later, in Korea, Vietnam and Beirut.

The decision represents a huge victory for the Home Port Alliance, whose general membership includes government, civic and business interests who expect the battleship to play a major role in the revitalization of Camden.

Too, there is emotional attachment in the region to the ship as it was built and launched directly across the river. Some of the individuals or families of the men and women who built her still reside in the area.

Proposal for World Languages In Elementary Grades Tabled

and the superintendent’s job to carry out the day to day workings of the district,” he said.

The board of education, Mr. Yaple said, is the “what, not the how.”

“They provide parameters and goals and approve the budget and curriculum,” he added.

Candidates, he said, are not expected to be educational experts. “They will be surrounded by educational experts.”

“It can be a tough job, but very rewarding,” Mr. Yaple said. “It takes a serious commitment, especially of time. It’s more than just attending meetings twice a month.”

He said that all board of education members are required to attend a training weekend, sponsored by the NJSBA within the first year of being elected to the board.

Mr. Yaple noted that board of education members are elected officials, “They must take a position and defend it.” He also noted that boards should be representative of their communities.

Interested parties should contact their local school board or district office and obtain an NJSBA Candidate’s Kit. The kit contains information about things from the legal requirements to campaign contributions. It also contains information about the School Ethics Act and a sample nominating petition.

More information is available by contacting the NJSBA at (609) 2785202 or (888) 88NJSBA.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

School Bd. Candidacy Freeholders Applying to State

For Grant for Lighted Crosswalk By KIM KINTER

Specially Written for The Times

WESTFIELD — The Union County Freeholder Board is applying for a grant to fund a lighted crosswalk at Temple EmanuEl on East Broad Street in Westfield.

As reported in The Westfield Leader last May, the lights are a relatively new technology called InPavement Flashing Lights Crosswalks Warning System. A row of intense amber flashing lights is automatically displayed when pedestrians walk between the crosswalk lines.

The system is to be installed in the crosswalk on East Broad Street near Jefferson Avenue and will cost a total of $17,300.

The Freeholder board approved an application during its January 27 meeting seeking a $12,500 Highway Project Grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway and Traffic Safety. The Town of Westfield has been asked to match the additional $4,800 needed to fund the project.

Westfield Mayor Thomas C. Jardim said some details of the grant and how much Westfield will actually match are still being worked out.

He credited the Freeholders, however, with doing “a very good job” of working on plans to improve that intersection.

“We are very grateful,” he said. The intersection was the site of a fatal accident in the spring of 1999 when a 23yearold woman was killed while trying to cross East Broad Street from Jefferson Avenue, opposite the temple. Authorities later said the woman, a nanny employed by a Westfield couple, was on her way to pick up a child at a program at the temple, but did not use the crosswalk.

The idea for the lighted crosswalk was first discussed last spring when The RBA Group, a consulting firm hired to conduct a traffic

calming study for the town, revealed some of the devices it was considering.

The system, which is in use in only one other municipality in New Jersey, would warn motorists that a pedestrian had stepped into the intersection. It uses extremely thin lights embedded into the surface of the roadway on both sides of the crosswalk.

Flight Light, Inc., of Sacramento, Calif., developed the system. It is currently in use in a pilot project in the Burlington County municipality of Pemberton.

A button mounted on a signpost or stanchion on the corner activates the lights. When a pedestrian wants to cross the road, he or she presses the button and activates the blinking lights to warn motorists driving east and west on East Broad Street that someone is in the crosswalk, a freeholder spokesperson explained.

The lights, which flash for 30 to 45 seconds, are thin and sturdy enough that snow plows, street sweepers, salt and sand will not dislodge them. Passing traffic also will not damage them, the spokesperson said.

“This is a pilot program, and we’re pleased to have gotten permission from the State of New Jersey to begin using it here in Westfield,” said Freeholder Mary P. Ruotolo, who lives in Westfield. “By initiating this innovative system, we can prevent accidents and injuries on this busy roadway.”

County officials hope that the project can be completed by the fall. If state funds are not approved for the project, however, officials say that they will set aside money in the county’s year 2000 budget to pay for the lights.

Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan added, “If this system is effective, it is something we would consider installing at other busy intersections throughout the county.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SP Council

night, the council also agreed to vote next week on a resolution urging Elizabethtown Water Company to provide fluoridation in the water supply it delivers to Scotch Plains and surrounding towns.

In order to fluoridate the local water supply, all area towns served by Elizabethtown Water would have to agree to the change, since the 27 area municipalities are interconnected to the water supply.

Mayor Martin Marks, an endodontist, backed the fluoridation idea, saying the risks mentioned by opponents of fluoridation were minimal and were vastly outweighed by the benefits of such a move.

Under other matters, Councilwoman Geri M. Samuel told the council that the township’s Technology Advisory Committee was moving forward on the establishment of a township Web site, although no specific date for its Internet debut was given.

She said the site would include information about township government, provide continuing updates on upcoming community events and give visitors to the site the ability to send email to township officials.

Man Attempts to Lure Two Students Into Car

Ingrid McKinley for The Times LET THE WORK BEGIN… Construction on townhouses located on South Avenue in Scotch Plains begins in full swing with a break in the weather after recent snow storms. Temperatures in the mid40s are expected for the upcoming weekend.

Ingrid McKinley for The Times OH, WHAT A BEAUTFIUL MORNING… On a sunny morning, Blanche Druzek, a resident of Chelsea Assisted Living in Fanwood, takes a stroll with Dottie Richardson in downtown Fanwood to the local drug store.

Recreation Office Offers Discount Ski Tickets

SCOTCH PLAINS — The Scotch Plains Department of Parks and Recreation is again offering discount ski tickets in conjunction with

the New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association (NJRPA).

Ski areas for which tickets are being sold include Montage Mountain, Scranton, Pa.; Shawnee Mountain, ShawneeontheDelaware, Pa.; Jack Frost/ Big Boulder, Blakeslee, Pa.; Blue Mountain, Palmerton, Pa., and Camelback, Tannersville, Pa. Prices are lower than when tickets are purchased on site.

Prices vary for weekend/ holidays, weekdays, all day or all night, as well as for individuals who prefer snowboarding. Some of the areas also offer beginners’ packages which include lessons.

Tickets may be purchased in the Recreation Office at 430 Park Avenue in Scotch Plains. All payments must be made by check made out to the NJRPA. For further information, please call (908) 3226700.

Looking for the Latest Scoop? www. goleader. com!

HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?… This is a composite sketch prepared by the New Jersey State Police based on the description of a man who attempted to lure two Roosevelt Intermediate School students into his car on Clark Street last Friday. By SUZETTE F. STALKER

Specially Written for The Times

Police and school authorities remained on the alert this week following a report that an unidentified man attempted to lure two youngsters into his car as they were walking home from Roosevelt Intermediate School last Friday.

L i e u t e n a n t John M. Parizeau of the Westfield Police Department said the suspect approached the two female students shortly before 3 p. m. as they were walking along Clark Street near Dudley Avenue.

The man was described as white, between 40 and 50 years old, with slicked back gray hair and wearing a blue hat. He was said to be operating a light blue, fourdoor Ford, according to the lieutenant.

The stranger lowered the rear passenger window of his car and asked the youngsters if they wanted a ride, Lieutenant Parizeau revealed. When they ignored him, the man tried twice more to coax them into the car, saying “want a ride? Get in,” the lieutenant added.

The girls kept walking to the intersection of Clark and Dudley, where a crossing guard waved the vehicle

through. According to Lieutenant Parizeau, the guard had seen the suspect talking to the girls but did not know at the time what the man had said to them.

The girls reported the incident to the mother of one who was on her way to pick them up. She then contacted both the Westfield Police Department and Roosevelt School, according to an advisory letter sent home to parents from local school principals on Monday.

A similar incident occurred on December 6, when a man approached a male student from Franklin School who had also been walking on Clark Street. In that case, the suspect had told the child, “Get in the car. Your mother wants me to drive you home because it’s too wet.”

The youngster ignored the man and continued walking home. He reported the incident to his mother, who then called police.

Lieutenant Parizeau said the suspect in the earlier incident was described as a white male in his 40s, with white hair and a white mustache. He was driving a fourdoor white vehicle.

Although the descriptions of the suspect and the car are different, police are continuing to investigate whether the two incidents may be linked. Lieutenant Parizeau urged anyone who is approached in a similar manner to attempt, if possible, to obtain a license plate number.

Two other attempts to lure youngsters into cars were reported in Summit during November. In one case, the driver was described as a blonde man in his 20s driving a rusty red sedan. The second incident involved the same type of car but a with a different description of the driver.

Just as they did following the December incident, principals of individual Westfield schools advised parents of the latest incident through a letter and encouraged them to review strategies with their youngsters for coping with “stranger danger,” a spokeswoman for Superintendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley told

The Westfield Leader on Tuesday. The Westfield Police Department presents safety assemblies each September in the local schools to instruct children on how to protect themselves in dangerous situations. Youngsters are told not to accept rides from strangers and, if they are approached, to quickly move away and report the incident immediately to an adult.

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