May 23, 2018

Buckbee Participates in School Safety Working Group

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HARTFORD – State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) participated in the legislature’s bipartisan School Safety Working Group meeting, held on Tuesday, May 22nd, at the Legislative Office Building.

“With another tragic incident occurring in Texas just last week, school security is clearly the priority of every local community across the country. Our youth are our most valuable asset and ensuring that they have a safe place to learn and grow into adulthood is not just a governmental responsibility but that of society as a whole. It’s important that we talk about the current climate in terms of the vulnerability of our schools and what precautions or procedures can be adopted to add a layer of protection for our students,” explained Rep. Buckbee.

According to Buckbee, the primary order of business at today’s meeting was to welcome two non-legislative members to the working group. The two additions were retired Enfield Police Chief, Carl Sferrazza, and the Principal Attorney of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Brenda Bergeron.

Rep. Buckbee said, “We will learn from each these experts and ensure that families can feel safe sending their children off to school. What we are currently doing as a country clearly does not work. There must be an answer to provide children a safe place to learn. As legislators, we are not experts of the security industry. It’s important to solicit as much information from outside resources as possible, as they will serve as critical facilitators of what creates the working group’s legislative recommendations. I look forward to working with members of our local community as the working group begins to form substantive suggestions to strengthen, or create, school safety-related legislation.”

The working group reviewed legislation related to safety and security requirements of school districts across Connecticut. Its next meeting will take place in June, despite the fact the 2018 Legislative Session has adjourned for the year. Regardless, Buckbee has committed to participating in all future meetings.

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