Mayor, Police & Fire Chiefs to Talk Attleboro School Safety

Following last month's deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., safety has been a concern for many parents throughout the country. The condition of Attleboro's public schools will be a topic at tonight's school committee meeting.

Mayor Kevin Dumas, along with Police Chief Kyle Heagney and Fire Chief Scott Lachance, will make a presentation during the meeting. School district Superintendent Pia Durkin said earlier this month that she has had several administrative meetings about school safety since the Connecticut shooting. Two meetings have taken place with Heagney, including one attended by Dumas.

Building safety plans are "continually looked at and reviewed by the police department" and have been given a "far more critical eye" since the Sandy Hook tragedy, Durkin said. 

Hill-Roberts Elementary parent Sam Ambewadikar told the school committee earlier this month that he and other parents in the district did not think the local schools were properly prepared to prevent a violent shooting.

"Intercoms and locked doors and having an occasional police presence at school admission and discharge are insufficient for any of the schools," he said. "There needs to be a police presence at every one of our schools … and if that costs money, then that's worth spending money for."

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Room 178E in Attleboro High School. Go here to see what else is on the agenda.