Security equipment has been installed at the Board of Education Office, including surveillance cameras and a panic button connected to the North Haven Police Dispatcher, because of an alleged breach of peace that occurred there on May 10.

The incident involved Superintendent of Schools Sara-Jane Querfeld, North Haven police officer Richard Hannon, who is currently the subject of an internal investigation to determine whether or not he was on duty at the time of the incident, his son Anthony Hannon and wife Terry Hannon.

According to Querfeld, the incident was the most recent in a series of unannounced visits to the Board of Education Office made by the Hannon family.

“This has been a pattern with them,” said Querfeld. “They come in without an appointment when they believe no one will be here but me.”

The Hannon family declined to comment, explaining that the their attorney advised against it.

Police Chief James X. DiCarlo and Deputy Chief Thomas McLoughlin recommended that Director of Business Operations Ed Gomeau have security equipment installed in a meeting six weeks ago, but according to Querfeld, it was not attended to right away because the there was no sense of urgency.

“We were made uneasy by what was going on, but we weren't as concerned as we were after what happened on May 10,” said Querfeld.

The incident, which began around noon on May 10, prompted Gomeau to have the equipment installed immediately. The cameras allow staff to observe the elevator, stairwell and hallway outside the office.

Querfeld was preparing to leave the office for an appointment when the Hannons arrived unannounced. According to Assistant Superintendent Patricia Brozek and Gomeau, Querfeld had taken that afternoon off.

She offered to schedule an appointment at a later date, but the family refused to leave.

According to Querfeld, Richard Hannon stood in the office doorway with his arms crossed with Anthony Hannon next to him while Terry Hannon sat down in an armchair in the corner of the room closest to the doorway.

Querfeld said that it was difficult to understand the reason behind the family's unexpected visit, but that as far as she could tell they wanted her to make the principal of Branford High School, where Anthony Hannon has been taking classes since the beginning of the spring semester, allow him to receive a diploma from Branford High School and participate in their graduation ceremony.

Querfeld and Brozek both said that if Anthony Hannon meets all graduation requirements, he will graduate from North Haven High School and be allowed to walk in its graduation ceremony and attend all senior class events.

After about ten minutes, Brozek, who was out when the incident began, entered the office and heard the voice of Richard Hannon from inside Querfeld's office. She entered it through a side door and began arguing with Anthony and Richard, while Querfeld continued to talk to Terry Hannon.

According to Brozek, Richard Hannon and Anthony Hannon became increasingly agitated until, after about five minutes, Brozek asked Querfeld's secretary to call the police.

Both Querfeld and Brozek said that, during the course of their careers, they had never experienced anything like this incident.

“It's typical to have angry parents, but when you have someone who is a policeman clearly out of control, it really raises the level of threat,” said Querfeld.

According to Querfeld, staff had observed the Hannons entering the office near the end of business hours on more than one occasion, and that she had been confronted by them in her office once before.

Since his freshman year at NHHS, Anthony Hannon has suffered a series of worsening asthma attacks inside the school, which he said were caused by poor air quality and hidden mold problems.

These attacks ultimately necessitated his January 2009 enrollment in Branford High School.

Terry Hannon filed several complaints with the Quinnipiac Valley Board of Health, which – after walk-through inspections by registered sanitarian John Laudano in May, September and January – resulted in North Haven hiring Mystic Air Quality Consultants, Inc., of Groton to test the air inside the high school.

SanAir Technologies Laboratory, Inc., an American Industrial Hygiene Association accredited laboratory in Virginia, analyzed a fungal spore sample taken at the high school and said that the air inside the school contained fewer spores than the air outside – evidence that the mold levels inside the school were not, at the time of the test, dangerous.

When contacted, Police Chief DiCarlo declined comment because the department has not finished the investigation.