Newtown Public Schools

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"Sandy Hook Elementary School" redirects here. For the 2012 shooting, see Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Newtown Public Schools
Location
4 Fairfield Circle South
Newtown (Fairfield County) Connecticut 06470
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesPre-kindergarten to 12[1]
SuperintendentDr. Lorrie Rodrigue[2]
Schools9[1]
Budget$92,130,000 (2012-2013 school year)[1]
NCES District ID0902910[1]
Students and staff
Students5,298[1]
Teachers380.33 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Student–teacher ratio14.63[1]
Other information
Websitewww.newtown.k12.ct.us

Newtown Public Schools is a school district in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of 2013 it contained seven schools, with a total enrollment of 5298,[3] an increase of 1663 since 1994.[4] It comprises 2.64% of Fairfield County (0.53% of the state).[4] Teachers in the school district are paid more than average for the area, which has in the past led to complaints from neighboring districts of staff being poached from them.[5]

In 2012, the district's Sandy Hook Elementary School became the scene of the second deadliest school shooting in U.S history when Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people, 20 of which were children 6 and 7 years old.

History[edit]

The building that now houses Hawley School was built from donations to Newtown by Mary Elizabeth Hawley in 1921, and was named after her parents. It was a modern building for the time, having central heating, an auditorium, a chemistry laboratory, and fireproofing; however, it lacks modern facilities with respect to other schools in the district, such as central air conditioning. By 1950, the school had become so overcrowded that an extension was built at the rear of the building and some of the old one-room schoolhouses were re-opened. The Newtown High School was located in this building from 1921 to 1953, when it was moved to a new building on Queen Street. The Hawley building was re-used as an elementary school, serving kindergarten to grade 8. The high school moved from Queen Street in 1970, and the Queen Street building became what is today Newtown Middle School, with the Hawley elementary school reduced to serving kindergarten to grade 4.[6][7][8]

The playground facilities used by Hawley School were once the Newtown Fairgrounds. They became Taylor Field, owned by Cornelius Byron Taylor, who donated the field to the town at the same time as Hawley donated the building.[7]

On May 10, 2013, a task force voted unanimously to demolish the existing Sandy Hook Elementary School and construct a new school on the existing site.[9]

2012 school shooting[edit]

Main article: Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot his mother at home, then killed 26 people (20 children and 6 staff) and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School.[10] It was the fourth-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.[a] It was also the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, after the Virginia Tech shooting, and the deadliest at any U.S. elementary school.[11][12][13]

Sandy Hook Elementary did not reopen after the shooting; the school's student body moved to the then-closed Chalk Hill Middle School in nearby Monroe on January 3, 2013.[14] Donna Page, the school's former principal, became the interim principal, telling parents it was her "calling" to return after the tragedy. She was the principal for 14 years before retiring in 2010.[15]

Many residents of Newtown expressed support for turning the site of the shooting at the former Sandy Hook Elementary School building into a memorial.[16]

The town decided the most appropriate course of action would be to tear down the old school and build a new school on the same site. Demolition took place in October and November 2013.[17] The demolition of the school was highly guarded and workers were required to sign confidentiality agreements to protect the victims and their families. The town accepted a state grant of $49.3 million to cover the costs of the demolition and construction.[18][19] The new school opened on August 29, 2016.[20]

Schools[edit]

Schools in the district
School Type Location Grades Enrollment
(year) 		Teaching staff
(year) 		Notes
Newtown High School High school Sandy Hook

41°24′50″N 73°16′33″W / 41.414°N 73.2758°W / 41.414; -73.2758

9-12 1,679 (2016) 124 (2012) Won Blue Ribbon school status
Newtown Middle School Middle school Newtown 7–8[3] 897 (2012)[3] 70 (2012)[3] Previously the high school, see #History[6]
Reed Intermediate School Intermediate school Newtown 5–6[3] 895 (2012)[3] 55 (2012)[3] The school is named after John Reed, who was superintendent of schools in the district for 20 years.[21]
Hawley School Elementary school Newtown Kindergarten–4[3] 416 (2012)[3] 26 (2012)[3] Previously the high school, see #History[6]
Middle Gate School Elementary school Newtown 41°21′59″N 73°16′26″W / 41.3665°N 73.2740°W / 41.3665; -73.2740 Kindergarten–4[3] 480 (2012)[3] 33 (2012)[3]
Head O'Meadow School Elementary school Newtown Kindergarten–4[3] 369 (2012)[3] 24 (2012)[3]
Sandy Hook Elementary School Elementary school Newtown Kindergarten–4[3] 337 (2016)[22] 38 (2012)[23] Site of the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

- Old Sandy Hook school demolished after shooting

- New Sandy Hook school opened on August 29, 2016

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The 2017 Las Vegas shooting, the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, and the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings were deadlier.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Newtown School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  2. ^ "Newtown Public School District". newtown.schooldesk.net. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q SM 2012b.
  4. ^ a b MD 1994, p. C—42.
  5. ^ Sperling & Sander 2006, p. 298.
  6. ^ a b c Patch 2012b.
  7. ^ a b Cruson 2012.
  8. ^ Cruson 2002, p. 30.
  9. ^ "Sandy Hook school to be demolished, new school built on same site (with reader reactions)". New Haven Register. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
  10. ^ Miguel Llanos (December 14, 2012). "Authorities ID gunman who killed 27 in elementary school massacre". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "28 dead in school shooting". BBC News. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  12. ^ "News from the Associated Press". hosted.ap.org. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  13. ^ "Live Video". CBS News. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  14. ^ "Sandy Hook to Go Back to School". The Daily Beast. December 22, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  15. ^ "Sandy Hook's 'New Old Principal' Donna Page Felt a Calling to Come Out of Retirement". ABC News. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  16. ^ "Newtown to discuss future of Sandy Hook school building". News.msn.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  17. ^ "Newtown Sandy Hook school demolition: Every trace to be removed of crime scene". CBS News. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  18. ^ "Workers demolishing Sandy Hook Elementary School required to sign confidentiality agreements". Fox News. Associated Press. October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  19. ^ M. Alex Johnson (May 11, 2013). "Task force recommends building new school at site of Sandy Hook massacre - U.S. News". Usnews.nbcnews.com. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  20. ^ Kennedy, Merrit (August 28, 2016). "4 Years After Tragedy, A New Sandy Hook Elementary Prepares To Open Its Doors". NPR. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  21. ^ Patch 2012a.
  22. ^ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Sandy Hook Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  23. ^ SM 2012a.

Reference bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • "Newtown Schools". Newtown, Connecticut: past and present. League of Women Voters of Newtown. 1955. pp. 89 et seq.


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