Newtown Delegation Push Zero-Tolerance Safe School Environment Act

HARTFORD- State Reps. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) and J.P. Sredzinski (R-112) joined education advocates and public safety officials and state Sen. Tony Hwang (R-28) in leading an effort in Connecticut to increase the penalties for threats of violence against schools.

The proposal, The Zero-Tolerance Safe School Environment Act, was the subject Friday of a public hearing before the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee.

Under the proposal, a new subsection pertaining specifically to threats targeting schools would be created under the state’s existing threatening statutes, and the penalties for first-degree threatening would be increased to a Class C felony (it’s currently a Class D felony) and second-degree threatening would become a Class D felony (it’s currently a Class A misdemeanor).

“As a representative of Newtown and Sandy Hook, I’d like to convey to you the deep wounds that still exist in my hometown.  Many friends and neighbors continue to work on their personal healing processes after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.  The community continues to be focused on its collective resiliency as well.  However, the local fabric is stretched with every school threat.  It is hard to believe but, Newtown and Sandy Hook have been targeted by such threats with greater frequency than most communities. Each of which results in a lockdown, leaving every resident holding their breath until public safety officials issue a stand-down order, said Rep. Mitch Bolinsky.

Rep. Bolinsky said, “Each threat represents a serious a setback to our community’s healing.  Each one prompts a town-wide response that stretches our town leaders, first-responders, educators and support service providers to the max.  Each one has an emotional toll.  Each one hits the municipal and school budgets.”

“As a parent living in Sandy Hook, I am angered and outraged that as a community we continue to be targeted by individuals who choose to threaten our children while they attend school. I have witnessed firsthand the emotional and psychological impact from these heinous threats of violence,” Mr. Reidy said. “Connecticut’s existing state law does not explicitly single out threats to schools as a crime. Threats and acts of violence toward our schools across our state and country have become an epidemic! It is time that our laws are improved and penalties stiffened, to specifically protect our children while attending school. We must adopt a zero tolerance to violence against our schools, its teachers and our children.”

“This legislation is important!” Chief Kehoe said. “Schools are places of learning and in many places they are more than that. With the correct educational environment, students learn and teachers teach. That can’t happen if students and staff are worried about their personal safety or school safety.”

“The fact is,” Chief Kehoe added, “today we are more worried about personal safety, especially in educational settings due to an uptick in school violence and shootings and the attention they get. The mere mention of violence being perpetrated at school is highly disruptive and emotionally damaging. Therefore this legislation is important to protect the educational learning atmosphere and environment.”

WATCH: Education and public safety officials join Senator Hwang for a press conference to raise awareness about the impact of school threats and to support The Zero-Tolerance School Environment Act: http://ctsenaterepublicans.com/2015/03/newtown-officials-and-parents-join-senator-hwang-in-support-of-sb-1108-video/#.VQxrY010y70