A task force of 28 officials in Newtown, Connecticut, voted unanimously to pull down Sandy Hook Elementary School and rebuild on the same property. The school was the site of a December 2012 shooting massacre in which 20 children and six adults died.
“We came together as 28, and I hope we can come together as a
community to rebuild the spirit of our community and build the
school together,” said panel member and vice chair of the local
Board of Education Laura Roche. She added that it had been “very
emotional and very hard” to come to a decision about the
school’s future.
Before the demolition and rebuilding can take place, the
proposal must go before the local school board and be approved by
residents in a referendum. If approved, officials said construction
could begin in spring 2014 and the new building could open in
January 2016.
Plans under consideration call for a building with a shape that
resembles homes and barns built in Newtown in the 1700s and 1800s,
and 26 glass cupolas on the roof with spires “pointed towards
heaven” in remembrance of the 26 victims, a report compiled for
the task force stated.
Not all Newtown residents are in favor of the project. Many
believe the school should simply be renovated, because tearing it
down would be a victory for evil.
Others are adamantly against having students return to the
existing building. Brian Engel, whose 6-year-old daughter Olivia
died in the shooting, told the task force last week that he didn’t
want Olivia’s younger brother to attend school in the same place
where she died. Several teachers also told the task force that they
didn’t want to return.
Sandy Hook’s 430 students are currently attending a renovated
school renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School in the neighboring town
of Monroe. They are expected to remain there until a new school is
built in Newtown.
A regular school day turned tragic for the Newtown students on
December 14 when gunman Adam Lanza opened fire with an assault
rifle after killing his mother at their home. He killed himself as
police arrived at the school. The massacre sparked a national
debate about gun control and second amendment rights.
Police have not disclosed the possible motives for the killings,
but officials have said that Lanza showed an interest in other mass
killings and played violent video games.
While Newtown residents wait to have their say on what happens
to Sandy Hook, they are encouraged by the prospect of the school
returning to how it once was. “It’s been a place for learning,
for kids to grow up and it’s going to
This article originally appeared on : RT