EG School Officials, Police React To Newtown Tragedy
"It hits you from all angles," says Eldredge Elementary Principal Dom Giuisti, himself a parent of young children.
The school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Friday morning reverberated across East Greenwich throughout the day, particularly among the school administrators and police whose job it is to keep students safe.
"It hits you from all angles," said Eldredge Elementary School Principal Dominic Giuisti late Friday afternoon, referring to his roles as father, educator, and school administrator.
"It’s beyond horrific. It’s absolutely an incredible tradegy," said Supt. Victor Mercurio.
According to reports, a 20-year-old man forced his way the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, past the buzzer security system in place, and killed the principal and school psychologist and more than two dozen others, including 20 children. The gunman then committeed suicide. [Ed. Note: The above paragraph has been updated since it was originally posted.]
Initial information suggested the gunman may have been known to people in the front office and that was what Giuisti was thinking about.
"You think about the safety precautions ... 95 percent of the people we buzz in we know," he said. Eldredge and the other five district schools now have buzzer systems at their entrances, a legacy of the Columbine schootings in 1999. Once a person is in the building, they are supposed to check in at the front office before proceeding and to get a badge signalling they have permission to be in the building.
Giuisti also talked about the changes in preparedness over the years.
"Ten years ago, it was 'lockdown.' Now it's 'lockdown or evacuate if you should.'" he said.
One problem, Giuisti said, was who would make that decision, especially if, as appears to have been the case in Newtown, the shooter first kills those in charge.
"It makes you go back to your plan," he said. "You try to plan for all of those scenarios."
Giuisti said he'd been talking with the principals of the other three elementary schools throughout the afternoon. He sent a letter out to Eldredge parents and said he thought the other principals were doing the same. Giuiti's letter is reprinted below.
He said he planned to meet with the staff Monday morning and would possibly be talking to them over the weekend, via conference call.
Police Chief Tom Coyle said his force prepares for this sort of incident. "We do trainings throughout the year, unfortunately for events like this," he said. "We train all year long."
Juvenile Officer John Carter said state law dictates each school have 15 drills a year, including two lockdown drills and two evacuation drills. Evacuation drills are different from fire drills, Carter said, because the children were taken to a safer location, rather than lined up outside the building.
Four of the drills involve dealing with some area of the school that's blocked off, because of fire or some other threat, he said.
In the wake of the shooting, said Supt. Mercurio, "We’ll take a look at all procedures."
Message from Superintendent Dr. Mercurio:
Dear Parent/Guardian:
While our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families in Newtown, Connecticut, please rest assured that student safety remains our top priority. We will continue to review appropriate safety protocols and procedures. In the upcoming days, in the same manner that we have done so in the past, we will continue to work with local authorities to maintain a vigilant watch and focus to ensure the safety of all students, faculty, and staff in all buildings throughout the district. Should any parent/guardian have individual specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s respective school.
From Eledredge Principal Dominic Giuisti:
Dear Eldredge Families,
I'm sure by this point in the evening you have all heard about the school tragedy that occurred this morning in Connecticut. As both a school administrator and a parent of three children, I cannot imagine a worse nightmare.
I want you all to know that the safety of your children is always our primary concern here at the James H. Eldredge Elementary School. We have specific policies and procedures in place to deal with a host of emergency situations in accordance with state and district policies.
Due to the age of our population, at this point in time, I am leaving it up to individual families to decide how much they wish to share and discuss with the students. I would be happy to speak with individual students should you feel that a reassurance from me about school safety would be beneficial. I would encourage you to ask your children to keep discussions private, as some parents may choose to share more than others at their discretion.
Tim Dwyer, our school psychologist, and Nina Mackta, our school social worker, are also available to speak with parents and students upon request. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us.
Sincerely,
Domenic M. Giuisti
jim halsband
12:33 am on Sunday, December 16, 2012
Whoever it may be that wishes to step up and have a serious conversation about safe measures needs to realize one primary thing, when you hear gunshots, people will no doubt be shot before the best first responders show up. Active shooter measures are necessary and drills need be adopted, an Israeli expert, Alon Stivi is the man, and this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2tIeRUbRHw, will give you a first look at his hands-on drill. These direct measures provide an alternative! Any conversation on gun control will not result in anything approaching the direct measure Mr. Stivi teaches when the active shooter is firing live rounds. He provides real lessons to take immediate responsibility for one's personal safety when facing down the horror, when trapped and running or calling for help is not an option. Gun control talking points will crescendo and yet another incident will shock the nation before any measures are taken, in the meantime, this Israeli expert provides proven measures that will save lives, take a look, be pro-active for your personal safety, looking down the barrel of a loaded gun is as terrifying as one can imagine, I have been there and survived, and also disarmed a knife wielding assailant, pro-active training! Knowledge is power, although a little knowledge can be dangerous, but as far as training is concerned, I would rather know it and not need it than need it and not know it!
Mom of 3
5:32 pm on Sunday, December 16, 2012
OMG, is this what it comes to? Teaching our kids to disarm a shooter via the Israeli military methods? So, in essence, our kids' school experience becomes drilling for standardized tests and how to learn commando methods in case of a shooter entering the building? Really?? The joy of learning and discovery will really be gone! Why not have a discussion about the mother of an emotionally disturbed son owning 6 guns and rifles and obviously not securing them? I would say that she had a responsibility to her family and her community to have been much more responsible than that. Here's the thing I can't get past - when a neighbor decides to collect an arsenal of weapons and fails to secure them we are all at risk, and we need to start finding answers by looking at ourselves.
jim halsband
6:38 pm on Sunday, December 16, 2012
Dear Mom of 3, this may actually be the case, a terribly sad state of affairs, our country is simply not what it used to be. There are over 300 million guns out there amongst us, that in and of itself is virtually insane! And a whole lot of mentally ill amongst us, this is a combination that is unsustainable for a happily ever after nation that watches movies and TV shows with multiple body counts. Believe me, I am as outraged as you are that it comes to this, but everyone needs to know a little something about taking responsibility for their personal safety, in the video, the Israeli gentleman understands what the weak and unarmed are up against in the unspeakable event of being in the immediate presence of an active shooter, and he gives us a plan of action that may save our lives, yes, it is a horrendous proposition, but the alternative would be to curl up in the fetal position. The standpoint that I share with Mr. Stivi is prepare for the worse and hope for the best. My personal opinion will be to institute annual registration fees of $100 per gun, and tax the bullets with an additional excise tax of $10 per bullet. We pay annual registration for our cars and $.18-.24 excise tax for each gallon of gasoline. This new revenue stream in excess of $30 billion annually would create the new jobs and easily pay for them, new jobs to screen the mentally impaired gun owners. We need to take regular eye exams to renew driver's licensing, how about mental tests for gun owners!
jim halsband
10:50 am on Monday, December 17, 2012
To keep this conversation going, and attempt to focus specifically on the real and rarely addressed problem, mental illness, gun control is certainly an issue that needs to be contained, and again, I repeat my thoughts on that by expanding, inserting and attaching financial responsibilities to the privilege of gun ownership. A luxury tax of $100 per gun, police are exempt for their one service weapon, the rest of their personal arsenals are taxed accordingly. Mental health care for all citizens is not a privilege, it is a right that we should take seriously, 9 out of 10 American families struggle with some form of dysfunction and we weep openly when innocent children are murdered by the mentally unstable 'loner'. We must begin the conversation on mental health care, Obama was absolutely right in his speech, we are better than that, in his 4th address speaking over dead bodies. The issues are connected, gun control and mental health, but not inseparable, and by turning the nation's focus on mental health care priorities funded by gun ownership registration revenues, we can turn this tide of despicable events and say what we need to say. 9 out of 10! This is a national problem, the nation mourns today, and can no longer tolerate such unspeakable tragedies, there is no reason on earth that all Americans do not have readily available access to mental and physical health care, and please do NOT insult my intelligence parroting fiscal cliff! I clearly stated how to fund this!
jim halsband
10:57 am on Monday, December 17, 2012
I sign my comments, and have repeatedly asked the editors of Patch to make it mandatory for participants in these conversations to sign off and take responsibility for their words. This transparency will assure a level of civility to debates and actually buttress the opinion! Cute monikers serve as masks to hide identities and provide cover for opinions that would never be uttered in public. Thank you!
housewife in EG
4:15 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Jim,I think you should be taxed by our federal goverment ten dollars a word. You have no problem with taxing and violating second amenment rights, perhaps there should be a fee for libbys like you whenever you open your mouth, yep that'd be our first amendment rights. First you state that one should prepare for the worse, and that we all should take personal responsibilty when it comes to our safety. You then speak of disarming honest citizens and the police. LaPierre had the most concrete and common sence solutions yet and was vilified by the leftwing media,unlike others who want to pass laws that don't work, and change the Constitution because of a madman. LaPierre and NRA members are willing to put their money where their mouth is, or were you not paying attention. Watch this, school security will increase, and more will be invested regarding our mentally ill, and hopefully mental health records be available for anyone looking to buy a gun or pay for a permit. All these were ideas proposed by LaPierre. You might want to back off NPR, the NY Post, and the Huffington Post and clear your head.
jim halsband
5:18 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Until you have the courage to sign your name and be proud to bash and scorn, then you have no right to comment, very gutless to hide behind some nickname and sit in your dark room and gun down a concerned citizen with a plan that will create funding to deal with the problem and not sit back and resort to name calling. Why are you so cowardly to be ashamed to sign your post? Those are some big words offering NO solutions, typical and empty, devoid of merit, sign it or shut it!
jim halsband
7:17 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
You clearly did not read my words regarding gun control, you just counted them, I love guns, I know the joy of shooting a .50 cal Magnum, next size up from Dirty Harry's .44 Mag, total thrill having that kind of killing power, extraordinary explosive recoil, really jarring to this 200-lb body, and the BLAMM!! Man, it is an awesome thing! Guns are designed for a singular purpose and that is to kill. My dearest friend is a highly decorated US Marine Corps VietNam war hero, who saw his friends die in his arms and he killed many... many of the enemy. He recalls the sheer psychosis of the moments shooting automatic fire assault weaponry, he tells of the fear, the excitement which is unmatched in scope and magnitude, the euphoria that swept over him realizing that he survived the moment, the psychotic episodes that consumed him during that moment of slaughtering of humans, he recounts that it approached a degree of sexual excitement, the killing of someone right in front of you and the carnage, quite unlike the TV version. But, I digress, we are talking about gun control and charging an annual fee for the right to bear arms, to raise funds for mental health care. It is time to delve into the human mind a little deeper, and maybe we find some reasons why people enjoy killing, 300 million guns are plenty in our society and I'm fine with that, but do we need to add more guns to the discussion. We need to control them better! A pittance, relative to the millions dead since gun's day 1.
housewife in EG
7:30 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
And Jim,guns are used for target shooting, and hunting as well. I could see a portion of an NRA membership going to worthy causes such as mental health care. I am happy to see something like that in the future, but I am not happy seeing the media taking advantage of a horrible situation for profit and to push their leftwing agenda.
jim halsband
7:46 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
anytime you wish to sign your name, I'm waiting, hiding behind a fake name is tantamount to wearing a ski mask and using this forum to bully and call names, I find that to be quite craven and absent of any civility. My suggestion was very well received in Congressman Langevin's office, a subject of extreme importance and relativity. Six year olds were slaughtered by uncontrolled guns, and you want business as usual!!! Absolutely NOT, sorry, my masked commentary adversary but please stop advocating for continued madness. and, once again, who are you?
Camille Speca
9:34 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2012
Housewife in EG, first, the NY Post is a conservative paper - just because they disagree with your stance does not make it a "libby" paper.
I find it extremely short sighted to look at the Constitution as if it is a completely static document that cannot be changed, modified or improved. It should be a living document, something that evolves, grows and addresses modern situations. Roosevelt said it well,
“When the Chief Justice read me the oath,' he [FDR] later told an adviser, 'and came to the words "support the Constitution of the United States" I felt like saying: "Yes, but it's the Constitution as I understand it, flexible enough to meet any new problem of democracy--not the kind of Constitution your Court has raised up as a barrier to progress and democracy.”
This is the mind frame we need to take on when we address modifications to the second amendment. Things are different now than when the authors of the Bill of Rights drafted the amendment. In order to get a license to drive a car, we must take a class, pass a written test and pass a practical test; to own a car, we must register them with the state, pay appropriate yearly taxes, and get them inspected every few years... can't we expect at least the same when someone wants to buy a gun?? At the very least??
One more point - Mom of 3, you may be too young, but when I was a kid in the 70's in NYC, we would have bomb drills in school. Now it's just a different weapon.