NPC Releases Findings On

Violence, Hears Suggestions

By Jeff White

In an answer to Governor John Rowland’s challenge of last April, the Newtown Prevention Council (NPC) brainstormed with concerned parents, teachers and representatives from various town services Wednesday night, October 13, about the best ways to bridge the gaps in the town’s efforts to prevent violence.

 The governor’s letter arrived in Connecticut communities just prior to the tragedies at Columbine High School last year and asked all towns to take a close look at their respective strengths and weaknesses in violence prevention and to develop new initiatives to address them.

 In Newtown, the task was handed to the NPC, and three times since last May the committee has met to identify areas of student safety where improvements could be made. In the high school’s lecture hall last week, the committee looked for specific comments from the community on their findings before making recommendations.

 After spending much of the their three previous meetings identifying strengths and weaknesses in Newtown’s violence prevention, the committee identified ways it felt existing gaps in student safety could begin to be closed. Their findings fell under six broad categories: Respect, Family Involvement, Training, School Schedule/Organization, Mentor Programs and an Emergency Response Plan.

 The categories were culled from surveys sent to parents shortly after Governor Rowland’s letter arrived in Newtown, said Newtown School District health coordinator and council Chairwoman Judy Blanchard. “[The survey] included concerns people had in broad areas,” explained Mrs Blanchard.

 Added committee member Joe Hemingway, “The Prevention Council has put a lot of work into this.”

 Overwhelmingly, those present Wednesday night placed the highest priority on addressing student-to-student behavior and improving communication and respect between students, parents, staff and administrators. The forum placed further emphasis on addressing class sizes and creating a definitive emergency response plan.

 Superintendent of Schools John Reed emphasized the difficulty in definitively addressing violence prevention inside schools, “because there isn’t one certain problem.” But Dr Reed did point out that the NPC’s study was a community initiative, not just exclusive to the scholastic realm.

 “I think this is all about a partnership,” said Dr Reed. If the schools are viewed as the primary combatant of violence, he said, then the effort “won’t be strong.”

 Dr Reed did highlight ways in which the district already addresses student safety concerns by handing out to each student a pink, driver’s license-sized card with a 24-hour hotline number on the back, along with instructions encouraging students to talk about problems they are having or perceive in other students. 

Captain Michael Kehoe introduced Gladis Pisani as the new Schools Resource Officer, and explained that another grant is being researched to bring a second such officer to Newtown.

 Parents had the opportunity to make their own additions to the NPC list, and among parent suggestions were an emphasis on basic security at individual schools and coping with peer pressure.

 Tina Griesse, a parent of two Head O’ Meadow Elementary students, chose not to shield her children from the horrors of school violence that dominated television sets last spring. But she recognized that her children were scared of the possibility that such incidents could happen in Newtown.

 “I’m looking for some concrete things we are doing to prevent violence in our schools,” said Mrs Griesse about her expectations for the forum.

 Having received the feedback it was hoping for, the NPC left the forum with specific areas it can focus on in smaller action groups comprised of various parent and teacher volunteers during the coming months. By November 1, the committee will have to report back to the governor about the gaps they were able to identify in Newtown’s violence prevention, and ways they are going to close them.

 Dr Reed said, “We’ll use this [forum feedback] as a guideline to report back to the community in the spring.” The Superintendent recognized the difficulty in forming action committees to address broad areas of concern like student bullying or lack of communication, pointing out that closing violence prevention gaps was a collective effort.

 “We’ll keep trying,” Dr Reed said. “Please keep trying with us.”