Brookfield Mulls Armed School Officers

BROOKFIELD, CT — School officials Wednesday will discsuss and possibly vote on a proposal to hire and place armed security officers at each of the town's four schools.

School security has become a major issue nationwide following last month's horrific shooting at a Texas elementary school that claimed the lives of 21, most of the victims elementary school-aged children.

The massacre was eerily similar to the horrific 2012 school shooting in nearby Newtown at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which claimed 26 lives.

Brookfield Superintendent of Schools John Barile is expected to discuss the prospects of armed guards at Huckleberry Hill Elementary, Center Elementary, Whisconier Middle and Brookfield High schools.

The Brookfield Board of Education meeting is at 7 p.m. in the Brookfield High School Media center.

So far, the Brookfield Board of Selectmen has rejected a funding plan for the armed officers, opting, instead, to wait and see what the board of education does.

At its June 6 meeting, selectmen voted 2-0 against utilizing $600,000 in American Rescue Plan funds for the four armed guards.

According to the June 6 selectmen meeting minutes, Republican Brookfield First Selectman Tara Carr told fellow selectmen there was a general recommendation to address school security concerns at a recent meeting among her, Barile, Brookfield Board of Education Chairman Bob Belden and Brookfield Police Chief John Puglisi.

Topping the agenda was hiring school security officers at each school beginning in fall 2022 and to decide on the funding source to employ them, Carr said, according to meeting minutes.

The school board June 1 voted to re-instate its security task force and there are already plans to have an increased police presence at the schools.

According to the minutes, Carr noted she would like selectmen to consider using ARPA funding over three years to fund the officers.

ARPA dollars are federal funds awarded to towns to compensate for added pandemic costs.

At the last selectman meeting, members discussed waiting for the school board's next meeting before taking any action.

Carr, though, said to help move this project forward and provide the finances needed, selectmen should vote on the $600,000 commitment from ARPA funds.

GOP Selectman Harry Shaker motioned to act, but after some further discussion, the motion failed, 2-0, with Democratic Selectman Steve Dunn and Shaker opposed.

For the minutes of the June 6 Brookfield Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.

For the agenda of the June 15 Brookfield Board of Education meeting, click on this link.