On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Pascack Valley High School will be closed for students and staff, as it will serve as a polling station for the 2024 Presidential Election.
PV principal John Puccio explained that Election Day logistics present challenges for keeping the school open.
“We have held primary and referendum elections here before, but this will be our first Presidential Election that we are hosting here at Pascack Valley High School,” Puccio said. “We’re going to have a large turnout, and my concern is the safety of this building for our students and staff.”
In 2022, a law was passed that prevents police officers from being within a certain distance of an election site. The law applies to all police officers at a polling location or a ballot box.
According to law N.J.S.A. 19:6-15.1(b), “No police officer, whether on-duty or off-duty, in or out of uniform, shall remain or stand within 100 feet of an early voting location or polling place during the conduct of an election.”
However, if needed, the law can be temporarily uplifted if there is a call, emergency, or need for investigation.
“[With elections,] people’s emotions get involved, and we just want to make sure our students and staff aren’t put in any situations,” Puccio said. “… If we were able to have police officers, I think it would be a different story.”
PV history teacher and the This Week in Politics club advisor Jeff Jasper also weighed in on the topic, citing logistical reasons to be closed.
“Especially since it’s a Presidential Election, the lines are going to be enormous,” Jasper said. “Parking is going to be a problem. You could have people roaming the schools. So, from a security standpoint, it is probably good that it’s closed.”
Jasper not only believes that it is smart to close the school, but he also believes that businesses should be closed as well.
“I quite frankly would be in favor of it being a federal holiday so that businesses were closed as well, so people could get out and vote,” Jasper said.
Jasper discussed what would be a positive of having school on Election Day.
“I’d prefer to be in school so that we could actually chart and follow the polling numbers as they come in and be aware and talk about where we are on that day, but I understand why we are closed,” Jasper said. “I get very pumped when [the students] get involved with politics, which they all do.”
At the end of the day, the safety and security of students and staff is PV’s biggest priority when it comes to elections.
“I want it to be safe for everyone, and we didn’t feel it was a great environment to have our kids and staff here, with so many people coming on campus,” Puccio said. “Let’s just take this day off and then we will move forward.”
