Derby Talks School Security

Derby school officials plan to hold a community forum to talk about security, Superintendent Matthew Conway told the Derby Board of Education Tuesday.

Right now officials are conducting site visits at Derby schools to determine what security recommendations to make.

Schools and towns across the U.S. are conducting similar security audits as a result of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Conway said he has met with Mayor Anthony Staffieri and Police Chief Gerald Narowski and will soon do walk-through” visits with Narowski and a security consultant in order to review what the schools need.

He said some of things that are under review are whether to hire guards, whether the guards should be armed or unarmed, and what security measures might be installed inside the schools, such as door locks, to make them safer. 

He also noted that these items have budget implications.

Ansonia is having the same discussion as officials there try to put together a budget for next year.

We have to prepare a budget that will give us the resources to provide for the security of our children,” Conway said.

The Board of Education named Conway as the new school superintendent on Dec. 13, the day before a gunman forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and killed six educators and 20 young students.

The new superintendent said he has attended community forums on school security in Newington and a state task force meeting held in Newtown. He is also waiting for two state task force panels appointed by the governor and the General Assembly to make their recommendations.

Derby officials are keeping an eye on the decisions that other towns and cities have made. 

For example, Conway told the board that Milford will hire additional police officers to assign to its schools as school resource officers. Other towns have hired retired police as supernumeraries.

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