Governor Chris Sununu announced the members of the newly-formed Governor’s School Safety Preparedness Task Force, which will be tasked with making recommendations to ensure the safety of New Hampshire’s schools.
The Task Force will meet on Wednesday, March 14 at 2:30 in the Executive Council Chambers, where the Governor will provide members with a list of recommended proposals.
In addition to the listed members, two students will join the group. There will also be four specialized working groups that will address specific topics within school safety preparedness.
These efforts will run alongside the new Public School Infrastructure Fund, which is investing nearly $20 million in state funds directly to communities by making long overdue infrastructure and security upgrades. $16 million has already been allocated to schools from across the state for critical security improvements, including reinforced windows and doors, state-of-the-art exterior door locking systems, and early detection systems.
“Schools are strongly encouraged to take advantage of state programs being offered including emergency management grants used to enhance communications between schools and first responders and additional resources available to assist with school preparedness exercises. We will not stop until our schools are the safest in the nation. If we can’t put our kids on the school bus and know they are safe, nothing else matters,” the Governor said in an earlier press statement.
Members of the Governor’s School Safety Preparedness Task Force include:
- Perry Plummer, Director, New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management (Chairman)
- Christine Brennan, Deputy Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Education and former principal of Beech Street Elementary School in Manchester
- John Broderick, Former New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice and Co-Chair of Change Direction NH
- Matthew Canfield, Chief, Laconia Police Department
- Michael Carney, School Board Member, Salem
- Allan Clark, Chief, Sugar Hill Fire Department
- Paul Dean, Chief, University of New Hampshire Police Department
- Laura DeRosa Ed.D, Teacher, Hollis Brookline Middle School
- Tiffany Eddy, Parent from Dunbarton
- Michael Gagnon, Chief, Derry Fire Department
- Laurie Melanson, Superintendent, SAU 23 North Haverhill
- Ken Norton, Executive Director, NAMI New Hampshire
- Richard Sawyer, Chief, Hampton Police Department
- Chris Wagner, Colonel, New Hampshire State Police
The Task Force is one of the many things that schools and communities across New Hampshire are doing to address public and student safety in response to the recent mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Read more about what state and local communities and students are working on here.
Read the full press release here.
