The Board of Education unanimously voted to hire Jenna Connors as the new principal of Middle Gate Elementary School during its Tuesday, July 8, meeting.

This comes after the previous Middle Gate Principal, Christopher Geissler, submitted his resignation to the district earlier this spring. Geissler served in the position since 2010.

His resignation was briefly discussed at the BOE’s June 10 meeting, where Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti acknowledged his contribution to Middle Gate and the district throughout his tenure.

Connors had been an educator in Newtown for 13 years, starting as the math/science specialist of Hawley Elementary School before later transitioning to lead teacher. She then became Reed Intermediate School’s assistant principal in 2021.

Connors took on the role of Middle Gate’s interim principal on March 8 of this year, and served in the position until being voted in as the school’s new principal.

Uberti said Connors’ deep understanding of curriculum, commitment to student success, and strong relationships with Middle Gate staff and the school community position her to lead Middle Gate with confidence and care.

“I’m looking forward to having her on the team,” Uberti continued. “I think this is very well deserved.”

Connors was supported by a small crowd of family, friends, and colleagues at the meeting. Everyone in the room applauded Connors after the vote, and congratulated her on landing the position during a brief recess.

“Thank you all for the trust and confidence you placed in me,” Connors said to the BOE and the crowd. “It means a lot, and I couldn’t be more honored to serve as the principal of Middle Gate.”

Donation To Newtown Public Schools

The BOE also accepted a gift from the Sandy Hook School Foundation for a weapons detection system at Newtown High School in a 5-2 vote.

They accepted the gift contingent on several aspects: that Uberti will present additional information on the potential project’s implementation plan during the BOE’s October 7 meeting, where BOE members can review the findings and vote on it again.

BOE members also want a reasonable amount of input and feedback from the public on the donation.

Uberti said this is still in advance of the day the SHSF asked them to come to a decision, so if the BOE decided to not support it, the foundation could take the funds back.

The SHSF is looking to sunset their foundation, according to Uberti. In order to do so, they have to expend the remainder of their funds and have it be consistent with their mission.

The funds originated as a result of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when funds came in from across the world. Much of it came into the PTA and a fund was set up that eventually became the SHSF. Uberti said the group has supported the district’s schools with programming, tutoring, mental health, and more.

Uberti noted there is confusion around the gift, as she called it “a little bit of a chicken in the egg” situation. She continued by saying this process differs greatly from what the BOE would do if it was a district-initiated process.

“If I was recommending that we implement something, all of that upfront work would be done before we made a decision to implement,” Uberti explained. “Because this is a gift, the dynamics are very, very different.”

Due to its nature as a gift, Uberti said it would have been a poor use of the district’s time to engage in an in-depth planning process until there was clarity on what would be offered and commitment for it to happen.

Additional Information

The proposal had previously been brought forward and approved by the district’s Safety & Security Committee, according to Uberti. This committee has vetted every safety and security initiative in the district.

It consists of: several members of the Town’s emergency management team, including Director of Health Donna Culbert, Chief of Police David Kullgren, and other police department representatives, as well as Uberti, Director of Security Mark Pompano, First Selectman Jeff Capeci, a member of the BOE, and several ad hoc members.

Uberti said the group philosophically agreed a weapons detections system at the high school would be something they support if it happened. However, Uberti clarified this group does not direct what happens in the schools.

“They [also] agree that no one piece of equipment or no one strategy is ever going to fully ensure student or staff safety, but this was viewed as another layer in our overall safety management of the building,” Uberti explained.

She said all of the schools are “hardened” as a first line of safety, meaning they have locking mechanisms, cameras, buzzing and entry systems, minimal entrances and exits, and more.

However, Uberti said the only thing that would protect staff and students if someone entered with a concealed weapon would be an armed guard, which they have one of. She reiterated how no one is suggesting this would be foolproof, and that it is just a piece of an overall security management plan.

“[The SHSF] has shepherded these funds for a long time, and they care deeply about the money that was put in their care, and this [plan] is where they have landed and what they’d like to donate,” Uberti explained.

The donation was originally set to be on the BOE’s meeting agenda for its June 10 meeting. However, Uberti said it was taken off because of concerns she had about the donation’s initial wording. The SHSF originally planned to sunset on June 30, but had later postponed that.

Had they sunset and something occurred to where the district could not use those funds as outlined, Uberti said the district would have to go to the state to appeal that.

Uberti said there are also a number of reasons why the gift may not even get implemented if the BOE votes to accept it. She continued by saying a number of logistical questions would need to be answered, and that an implementation and rollout plan would have to be developed, to determine if the gift could even be implemented.

Uberti suggested to the SHSF they give the BOE until October 30 to try to do this work.

BOE Feedback

BOE member Shannon Tomai raised numerous concerns about the weapons detection system throughout the meeting, saying she did not support the donation. She said metal detectors in schools negatively impact student mental health, potentially increasing anxiety, stress, and feelings of fear or insecurity.

She quoted the National Center for Education Statistics and said 2% of elementary schools, 7% of middle schools, and 10% of high schools in the entire United States use metal detectors.

Tomai then quoted the National Safety and Security Service that metal detectors used on a daily basis are typically limited to large urban school districts with a chronic history of weapons related offenses.

She said that, before anyone makes a decision that could have massive negative impacts on mental health and the education experience of students for a free gift, it is imperative they do a thorough assessment of the actual risk and perceived reward.

“This is a very strong step in a direction that can not be undone, and there is no clear evidence that it actually increases safety,” Tomai said. “I am not in favor of this.”

BOE member Brian Leonardi said he feels security checkpoints have become a fact of life in the United States, and that he has to walk through them when walking into a courtroom or going into a public museum in Washington D.C.

As it relates to schools, Leonardi noted a study that showed the overwhelming majority of shooters were age 13 to 18 between 1970 and 2020.

He said if there are professionals within the district, including the director of security who has advised the high school is one of the least secure buildings, then they have to take a hard look at that opportunity to bring metal detectors into the high school and enhance security.

While he said Tomai’s points are very valid, Leonardi said he supported the gift.

“Hindsight’s 20-20, and I would hate that, if God forbid something happened, that we look back and we say we had an opportunity to enhance the school and we passed on [it],” Leonardi said.

BOE member Deborra Zukowski said she did not support the gift, adding that the main question is what problem they are trying to solve. She said that Newtown does not have a chronic history of weapons related offenses, and that, given the rise in mental illness across the country, would be the reason they implement it.

“It’s not helping the one or two people who may have mental issues that may cause aberrant behavior, which is probably the problem that we in Newtown are trying to solve,” Zukowski said.

She also said it could create a false sense of security, and that it would not stop students from bringing in items on buses, for special events, or when the detectors are not running.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.