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A meeting with about 100 parents was held Thursday at the middle school as Erardi gave details on the arrest of Jason M. Adams, 46, who has been at the school for 10 years, the News-Times said.
Adams, a Newtown resident, was arrested at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the middle school after security personnel spotted his concealed firearm, Newtown police said. He has a pistol permit, but was charged with possession of a firearm on school property, a felony. The Newtown School District said it has placed Adams on administrative leave with pay while it investigates the matter.
Erardi said the investigation into the “egregious event” would take two or three weeks, the News-Times said. Because of the ongoing police and district investigation, he would not answer questions from parents on why Adams had the gun at school or whether he had brought it to school previously, but said police responded in 90 seconds, the News-Times said.
The Newtown Action Alliance expressed shock at the arrest in a statement Thursday to Daily Voice and reiterated the group's stance that guns should be banned from schools.
"Our community is still reeling from the tragic shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012. Therefore, we are shocked and enormously disappointed that a middle school teacher from Newtown would bring his gun onto school property," the statement said.
"The school administrators and the Newtown Police Department were able to respond efficiently and effectively to this difficult situation, due to the school’s strict policy prohibiting guns on school property and the fact that carrying a gun on school property is a felony according to Connecticut State Law.
"We encourage all schools in all towns and cities nationwide to adopt a similar policy to keep all children and teachers safe from gun violence. Teachers should focus on teaching and defer to law enforcement with proper training to protect our students in schools."
Newtown Middle School is located less than 2 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School, where six educators and 20 first-graders were killed by a lone gunman in 2012.
Click here to read the story at the News-Times website.
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