After Two Month Review, School Officials Set to Approve Safety Measures

A sinking feeling came to the stomach of many Southington parents in December when news that 20 children and six staff members had been shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, but members of the Board of Education are taking action to assure that students in town are safe.

The Board of Education will vote tonight in executive session on a variety of changes and enhancements to school safety and emergency response as members finish up a two month review into the district’s policies and procedures.

Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski said it was a necessary and logical step for the school district in the wake of the tragic Newtown school shooting.

“The main thing, we believe that we were always focused on safety and plans in place for our buildings and responses are not new,” Goralski said. “We are simply modifying and improving them, looking at them from a fresh perspective, a different perspective.”

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The latest set of changes, which involved a two month review done in partnership with the Southington Police Department and Southington Fire Department, involves sensitive information and will not be released to the public.

Southington School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. said Wednesday that the next step after members of the school board vote in public session will be to take the plans to other elected officials in order to share information and unite the community as a whole.

These sessions will not focus on funding – Erardi said a funding plan is already in place – but rather will be designed to promote unity.

“It only makes sense to involve the entire community because it is a community issue,” Goralski said. “When the community sees we are engaging other elected officials, my hope is they will know their opinion matters and can share with all of us.”

The executive session review is just one of several parts of an ongoing and ever-changing plan designed to keep students and staff safe. The plans first began in December and January with community forums and will continue to focus on all aspects of safety, reaching even beyond the school day.

What changes would you like to see made to safety precautions at Southington schools. How can the community get involved? Give us your take.

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