School Safety

The teachers' union in Keene is blaming understaffing and lack of oversight in the district for a major increase in staff injuries. Many of the injuries are in elementary schools, among paraeducators and teachers' aides, but Keene Education Association president William Gillard says the problems extend far beyond programs for students with learning, behavioral and emotional challenges.

Democrats in the state Senate passed three bills Thursday they contend will reduce gun violence in New Hampshire.

A former ConVal high school student charged with making a school shooting threat has pleaded guilty to avoid potential state prison time.

Last November, 18-year old Anthony Wheeler posted a photo on snapchat of his friends with BB guns that appeared real, warning students not to go to school the next day.

A bill to restrict guns on school grounds passed the House on Thursday in a mostly partisan vote.

Under the proposed rules, anyone carrying a gun on school property or school buses would be fined and charged with a misdemeanor unless they're a member of the military or a law enforcement or school resource officer.

Governor Sununu unveiled a website Thursday he's calling a "one-stop shop" for resources on school safety.

The website highlights the 59 recommendations from The School Safety Preparedness Task Force, which Sununu convened in the wake of the Parkland school shooting last year.

A Conval Regional High School student allegedly involved in a school shooting threat last week is being held without bond in a Manchester jail.

According to police, Anthony Wheeler of Antrim posted a picture on Snapchat last week of another Conval student dressed up like one of the Columbine school shooters and holding guns.

A caption read: "Don’t go to school on Wednesday."

Police have not revealed whether the guns in the photo were real, but all district schools were closed on Wednesday as a result.

Governor Chris Sununu joined education and law enforcement officials at the State House Tuesday to announce the availability of an app which seeks to increase school safety.

Nashua-based Ping4 Inc. CEO Jim Bender says his company is making its emergency communication system free to all New Hampshire schools.

Among the 59 recommendations released earlier this summer by a special task force on school safety, one can be especially helpful in thwarting attacks, according to safety officials: An anonymous tip line - so that anyone seeing danger signs can report concerns without fear of retaliation.

Often potential attackers exhibit danger signs - and the sooner these are picked up on and reported to the right people, the more likely violence can be stopped, according to Perry Plummer, Director of N.H. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.  

Governor Chris Sununu has released the findings of his school safety task force, which include 59 recommendations that range from gun laws to school building design. (Scroll down to read the full report.)

The task force was asked to give "practical, actionable recommendations from areas of agreement" among its members. These include urging the legislature to pass a law mandating at least one annual fire drills be used to test emergency response to an armed assailant.

A fifth-grade student in New Hampshire who wants to stop bullying has told her school board that she's been threatened to get shot in the head with an AK-47 assault rifle and buried in her backyard.

Delanie Marcotte, of Pollard Elementary School in Plaistow, said she's a victim of bullying. She read a letter before the board last week saying her parents contacted the school about it, but it continues. She asked the board what it would do to protect her and her classmates. Her father shared her comments on Facebook.

Hanover Police Chief Charles B. Dennis announced the arrest of a 14-year-old Canadian girl in connection with a threat posted on Instagram about a shooting at Hanover High School.

Hanover police coordinated with authorities in Brantford, Ontario - south of Toronto - after the location of the social media threat was determined to be in their jurisdiction, police said.

The threats came from an Instagram account titled "hanoverhighschooting."

  Governor Chris Sununu said Wednesday he wants his hand-picked school safety task force to research the effectiveness of arming school employees and if stronger background checks could help prevent gun violence.

The first-term Republican's School Safety Preparedness Task Force met for the first time Wednesday, the same day students across the state walked out of the classroom to honor the 17 people killed in the mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Fla.

Students across the country are marking one month since the Parkland, Florida, school shooting left 17 dead. Today, more than a thousand Concord High students stood outside at 10 a.m., the morning after a snowstorm hit the northeast. It was still snowing lightly as students held 17 minutes of silence to commemorate the 17 killed in Parkland and read the names of those lost.

Senior Jonathan Weinberg was one of the organizers. He says they purposely chose to hold 17 minutes of silence instead of a focusing on a walkout.

Social studies teacher Rob Nadeau’s journey to the New Hampshire State House began last fall in his Hopkinton Middle High School classroom. While teaching an Intro to Law class, he said he noticed his students were shocked to learn that in New Hampshire, permitted gun owners were allowed to bring their firearms into a school building. 

  The head of a New Hampshire prep school's board of trustees says a teacher who was let go in 2008 for "repeated boundary crossings" involving students should have been dismissed earlier and shouldn't have been given a favorable recommendation.

A letter from Archibald Cox to the St. Paul's School community said Thursday that David Pook's departure was "overdue and badly handled."

The 47-year-old Pook was charged last week with witness tampering and conspiring to commit perjury following a grand jury investigation into misconduct allegations at St. Paul's.

The Manchester School District says a student was arrested last Friday for making threats on social media about school shootings.

Superintendent Bolgen Vargas says despite the arrest there was no immediate threat to any students in the district.

This is the third arrest made in connection to school threats in New Hampshire following the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school last month.

Governor Chris Sununu announced the creation Monday of a new school safety task force.

The news comes following the school shooting in Florida and threats of violence at schools here in New Hampshire.

According to a statement from the Governor’s office, the new task force will include representatives from the state, law enforcement, schools, and local governments.

It will spend the next few months developing stronger safety protocols for New Hampshire schools.

The National Education Association New Hampshire has formed a coalition to look at school gun violence.

The union of educators, which has 17,000 members, says the coalition will be made up of educators, first responders, and mental health experts. The plan is to also have input on possible changes to legislation.

Some schools around the state will soon be getting security upgrades as lawmakers Friday approved about $10 million in grants for school safety projects.

The money comes from a surplus in last year’s state budget. It will pay for 170 different projects at schools around the state. Most are security upgrades, like improved locks, alarm systems, or surveillance cameras.

Governor Chris Sununu urged lawmakers to approve the funds at a hearing Friday morning.