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On Friday, Feb. 28, a new security guard at the Waverly School in Eastchester allowed a man to enter the building at approximately 2 p.m. after he claimed to be waiting for someone in maintenance, school officials said.
Rather than screen his identification, issuing a visitor’s badge and notifying the maintenance staff - which is district protocol - the security guard allowed him to wait and sit nearby, Eastchester School Superintendent Rob Glass wrote in a message to parents.
According to Glass, the intruder later asked to use a restroom, but instead entered a vacant teaching assistant’s office, where money was later reported missing.
He later went through several more vacant offices before a hall monitor stopped him.
The hall monitor went to security and the intruder was escorted out of the building within 10 minutes of entering, though police weren't notified until approximately an hour later.
Investigators with the Eastchester Police Department were notified and later verified that the man did not enter any classrooms or have any contact with students. According to the district, the intruder - whose name has not been released - is facing charges.
On Sunday, March 1during a community forum, parents expressed their dismay that the intruder so easily was able to enter the building. The security guard in question has also been barred from working in any Eastchester school building.
Moving forward, the district set potential visitors to school buildings will be vetted outside a set of locked doors before being allowed entry inside.
Schools were on a two-hour delay on Monday, March 2, and there was extra security and a police presence put in place as a precaution at the Waverly School.
Officials are in the process of reviewing safety protocols with staff members.
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