School Shootings

Prompt Local Vigilance

School shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have put parents and school officials on edge about security in local school facilities.

“We are always concerned about security in our schools,” said Newtown Schools Superintendent Evan Pitkoff. “When these terrible incidents occur, it gets our attention.”

Police Chief Michael Kehoe this week declined to discuss specific security measures that police and school officials have planned in the event that there is a dire emergency in the schools, such a person with a firearm threatening violence.

Disclosing such measures would undermine those measures, the police chief stated. Police have various procedures and policies in place designed to address various contingencies, as do school system officials, he said.

Such procedures are under continual review, Chief Kehoe said. Each school has specific procedures in place in the event of an emergency. School principals are very conscious of security matters, he added.

High school Principal Arlene Gottesman said this week that current procedures at her school require every visitor to sign in and receive a visitor’s pass. “We have a table in the lobby for this. Staff and teachers wear ID cards. Our administrators and security personnel are out and about in the school. Adults who don’t belong are easily spotted. We must remain vigilant.”

“I think [our security] is pretty tight. We have one door open by the B-wing office, which is monitored,” said Diane Sherlock, Newtown Middle School principal. “We’ve had protocols in place for a while, for example, our students don’t carry backpacks. We will practice increased vigilance.”

Local officials will always review violent incidents at schools elsewhere in deciding whether to change their existing security policies and procedures, as needed, the police chief said.

“I have sent a letter to the principals, reminding them to review protocol with their staffs,” Dr Pitkoff said. “We ask that they report anything of concern, anything questionable. All our staff know to direct visitors to the main office. It is a matter of diligence.”

The police officers who work in the local public schools have made suggestions on improving school security, Chief Kehoe said.

The police department has three police officers working at the public schools on a regular basis. They are Officer Domenic Costello at Newtown High School, Officer Gladys Pisani at Newtown Middle School, and Officer Dana Schubert at Reed Intermediate School. Officer Schubert also covers the four elementary schools, as needed.

“As of today [October 3], all of our elementary schools have a buzzer system to gain entry into the building,” Dr Pitkoff added.

(Andy Gorosko and Laurie Borst contributed to this article.)