Crime & Safety
School-Related Threats in CT Increasing at an Alarming Rate
Since the Florida mass school shooting on Feb. 14, there have been numerous threats of violence made at CT schools.
Connecticut has seen a surge in arrests linked to alleged threats of violence against schools or students in the weeks following the Douglas Stoneman High School shooting that left 17 dead on Feb. 14. There have been at least nine arrests and 13 police investigations into threats of violence in Connecticut.
Connecticut has invested $53 million for school security upgrades across 1,200 schools since 2013.
“There is no more important function of our government than keeping kids safe, and I look forward to working with the legislature toward making sure we do everything in our power to ensure that every child can access a safe, secure, welcoming learning experience – no matter their zip code,” said Gov. Dannel Malloy at a recent roundtable discussion about school safety.
State Department of Education Commissioner Diana Wentzel said schools should be as safe as possible without resembling fortresses.
A summary of arrests and people taken into custody. Cases are pending and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
- A Southern Connecticut State University student was arrested after he threatened students at Fairfield Ludlowe High School over Snapchat.
- A student was taken into custody after someone overheard him making threats to shoot a teacher in Westport. Firearms belonging to the students father were found at the family residence. Staples High School dismissed early for the day.
- A 13-year-old Trumbull student was arrested after he posted a threat against an unspecified school and students. He was seen in a photo holding a handgun that was later determined to be a replica.
- Two students were arrested at a Wallingford high school. One student wrote a threatening message on a classroom whiteboard. The other student in an unrelated incident yelled an “alarming statement” that caused students to secure a classroom door.
- A 14-year-old was arrested after making threats against a school and staff in West Haven.
- A 24-year-old man was arrested after making vague threats on education buildings in Vernon.
- A Ledyard High School student was arrested after he said he could buy an AR-15 rifle.
- A Cheshire High School student was arrested after making a “serious but generic threat.”
- A New Milford student allegedly told a staff member that he/she had a weapon. The student was arrested.
Several other school systems investigated reported threats that had varying degrees of disruption at schools. Other districts contended with disruptions that didn’t involve threats.
- False information was shared among the Milford community about threats to the safety of students.
- A threatening message was found at a Greenwich middle school.
- A spent shell casing was found at a Vernon school. A bullet casing was also found in Southington under innocent circumstances.
- A teacher brought students in from recess after hearing a loud noise in Vernon.
- A bullet found on a Monroe bus was determined to not be a threat.
And while threats in schools continue to pour in across the nation, there was another fatal school shooting reported in Michigan. Two people were shot and killed at Central Michigan University on Friday. In response to the recent wave of violence in schools, Governors in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and other states joined a coalition that promised to collaborate on gun violence research and share law enforcement data and resources.
The state coalition is working to close gaps in the federal background check database. New York will share access to its database of 77,000 people who doctors flagged as mental ill and aren’t allowed to buy a gun in the state.
Image via Shutterstock
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
