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Newtown school officials update State Board of Ed on recovery, safety efforts

The State Board of Education heard today from Newtown School officials about an update on teaching and learning, and safety and security in the years since the shootings at Sandy Hook School.  Superintendent Dr Joseph Erardi says Newtown hasn't completely recovered from 12/14, it's a continuing journey.  He noted that Newtown has courage and extraordinary resilience in the direction the schools have gone.

 

Newtown Public Schools Director of Security Mark Pompano told the Board that as a result of lessons learned from the tragedy, one of the main components of the emergency operations plan was the proactive risk assessment.  These are procedures about how and when to initiate a threat investigation into a threat or potential threat being made against a school, student or staff member.

 

Pompano said school safety is constantly changing.  He described the district's guiding principle to keep students and staff safe.  He gave the mantra is "quality through continuous improvement". 

 

Newtown Federation of Teachers President Thomas Kuroski says it's a continuing journey.  He says this is just the beginning of the long, uncharted road to recovery.  He added that there is no map to use guiding recovery efforts or decision making.

 

Kuroski says Newtown will continue to need help in the long term because the tragedy was unique given the age of the victims.

 

Kuroski says each year brings new challenges.  Next year for instance, the first graders who survived 12/14 will be entering a new school.  The children who were preschoolers that day, will be entering the new Sandy Hook School as 3rd and 4th graders.  Kuroski says that will bring social and emotional challenges never faced by a group before.

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