State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R) and US Representative Elizabeth Esty (D) both participated in efforts to discuss school safety.Information from an Associated Press article, "Parkland parents urge steps to improve school safety," was used for this article.

A bipartisan School Safety Working Group convened its first meeting to study issues surrounding school safety at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on April 18, and Rep Bolinsky will serve as a member of the working group, which was created earlier in the year.

Rep Bolinsky said in a release, "It's troubling to realize that some of the protective measures concerning school security that were previously passed by the state legislature in 2013 are not being upheld. School security is a primary function of the state government, which is why I felt compelled to join my legislative colleagues to undertake a statewide inventory of procedures, compliance, and needs to have best-in-the-nation standards and disciplines here in Connecticut. Ultimately, we will develop positive recommendations to keep our children safe going forward and encourage periodic updates to meet ever-changing challenges and new technologies."

The group will conduct a comprehensive review of school safety in Connecticut on an on-going basis and make recommendations for the next legislative session in 2019. In addition to state legislators, the working group will include school superintendents, law enforcement/first-responders, mental health professionals, school security consultants, students, and parents. The next meeting will convene in May after the conclusion of the legislative session on May 9.

On the same day, Rep Esty joined others at a Capitol forum in Washington, DC, to discuss improving school safety in the light of tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 students and faculty members were gunned down. The event was led by Florida Senators Bill Nelsen (D) and Marco Rubio (R).

Guest panelists made presentations at the event on a number of topics, including conducting research on gun violence and ways to improve technology and infrastructure in schools to make schools safer in the event of an active shooter. According to a release, speakers included Max Schachter and Ryan Schachter, the father and brother of Alex Schachter, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas who was killed during the shooting on February 14, and Nicole Hockley and Lauren Alfred of Sandy Hook Promise. Ms Hockley's son, Dylan, was killed during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

Both Rep Esty and Sen Rubio are cosponsors of the STOP School Violence Act, which was recently signed into law as part of the federal government's omnibus funding bill. The law calls for investing in programs to train school personnel, students, and law enforcement to identify signs of potential violence and prevent it before it happens. It also makes investments in reporting and threat assessment systems for schools, as well as security equipment.