A bill proposed by state lawmakers to increase penalties for threats against schools was discussed Wednesday afternoon at a Judiciary Committee Public Hearing at UConn in Stamford.
After being evacuated from Stamford High School during a bomb threat on Feb. 9, sophomore Natalie Medero says she supports the Zero-Tolerance Safe School Environment Act.
“I completely agree with that because it’s really disruptive to students, to parents to teachers because and it just freaks everyone out and makes them upset,” Medero said.
Interim Superintendent of Stamford Schools James Connelly testified in favor of the bill during the public hearing.
“All of these situations in my estimation are acts of terrorism,” Connelly said, “given the national anxiety concerning school safety following Columbine, Sandy Hook, etc.”
Back in October, the entire Fairfield Public School district and private schools in the town went on lockdown, prompting a massive police response and early dismissals.
“These are very sophisticated means of trying to scare,” Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield) said.
Hwang’s 16-year-old son goes to Fairfield-Warde High School, one of the three schools police say received a threatening phone call.
“They were forced to lie down to the back of the walls for nearly three and a half hours in pitch darkness with no information,” he said.
Sen. Hwang is sponsoring the bill to make these threats against schools a Class C felony with a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
“If you threaten schools, either secondary schools or even colleges or elementary schools we are going to catch you and punish you to the highest level under the law,” Sen. Hwang said.
Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara told NBC Connecticut he is backing this bill. He said his department continues to work with the FBI to track down whoever made the threats that prompted the district wide lockdown.
