Police Presence at Local Schools Following shooting

Superintendent Joann Magistro said that members of the East Brunswick Police Department will be present during school dismissal today and that school counselors are available to help students deal with any anxiety they have following today’s tragic shooting in Connecticut.

“Our hearts go out to the children and staff of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. This is a tragedy none of us would want to experience. We do want our parents to know that we have a very close relationship with the East Brunswick Police Department and we practice drills for these kinds of tragedies monthly. Chief (William) Krause is arranging for police presence at school dismissal today. School counselors are ready to handle any anxiety our students may have in response to this incident. Let's all hug and kiss our kids tonight!”

East Brunswick Police Detective Sgt. Kevin Zebro said he was in touch with the district’s Security Coordinator to discuss the situation as well.

Earlier today, at least 27 people were killed in an elementary school, including 18 children, in the Southwestern Connecticut town of Newtown, in what will likely go down as the deadliest school shooting in American history.

The gunman apparently went to the family’s Hoboken, NJ home before heading to Newtown, CT where he fatally shot his mother in her kindergarten classroom of Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to reports.

The gunman delilberately went to Sandy Hook Elementary School with the intention of killing his mother who was a kindergarten teacher at the school, according to NBC Channel 4. Lanza’s hometown has not been released.

State Sen. Barbara Buono released the following statement regarding the indident.

"What happened today in Newtown is every parent's gravest fear. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, particularly those who face the unspeakable heartache of losing a child to such senseless violence. Connecticut's loss will be felt all across the country, and Americans will stand together to comfort the grieving families and take steps to ensure a tragedy like this isn't repeated." 

U.S. Rep. Rush Holt also released a statement, urging a discusson on ways to bring gun violence under control.

“We can’t just keep saying, ‘Our hearts ache for the victims and their families.’  We have to bring gun violence under control.

“Of course we are all horrified by today’s violence in Connecticut.  Such tragedies are always senseless, but it is especially sickening to see gunfire turned against children in a place of learning.

“Yet it is not enough to feel sickened.  In the aftermath of these horrific events, there will, as always, be those who will warn us against ‘politicizing’ this tragedy by discussing gun safety.  These claims are ideologically motivated, and they are profoundly wrong.

“When, after a hurricane strikes, we advocate for funding to mitigate future floods, that is not ‘politicizing’ a tragedy.  When, after a terrorist attack, we advocate for better measures to prevent future deaths, that is not ‘politicizing’ a tragedy.  The notion that gun violence is somehow different—that it deserves unique immunity from serious conversation in our political dialogue – is nonsensical.

“Policymakers have an obligation to respond to problems by finding solutions.  The solution to gun violence is, in part, to address gun safety.  Arguments that deny this fact strike me as illogical or blindly ideological.”

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