With the 2022 election closer every day, residents will be faced with a choice between eight candidates for three available seats to represent Bristol on the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee.

The candidates are Jessica Almeida, Adam McGovern, Anthony Morettini, William O’Dell, Brian Bradshaw, Carly Reich, Margaret Elise Richards, and Richard Ruggiero.

This piece is the second in a weekly Q&A series running each week up to the election to give candidates a chance to answer a few pressing questions to help inform voters and provide insight into each candidate. Each was given a 125-word limit for answers. Answers are direct quotes from candidates, published in the order they were received, with edits only for spelling or grammar.

This week’s question:

"Safety within schools is front of mind for students, parents, teachers, administrators, and everyone in the school community. What is one policy you would enact or support to bolster the safety of all within our school buildings?"

William O’Dell
It's important to note that there are already systems in place, designed collaboratively between the police department and school district. Some of these procedures are kept from the public for security reasons. Second, a policy is words on paper. I can’t say that words alone are much of a deterrent. Thirdly, a committee member would be wise to stay away from well intended “bright ideas”.

That being said, the best approach would be a safety/security audit. One such audit was done some six years ago when I was on the committee. These professional audits should be done regularly so we can receive and track updated recommendations and prices. Then we can budget, prioritize and build a workable plan with short and long term goals.

Jessica Almeida
Every school in the district should have vestibules at the entrance of the building with bulletproof glass (not just locked doors with a buzzer — there is no point to vestibules if someone can break through them). Along with the bulletproof glass vestibule should be an armed officer/guard within that area.

Our towns have the most talented and community engaged police force which we need to continue to work together with for the safety our children deserve. We live in a wonderful, caring community but at the end of the day, the world is a different place. It is better to have the additional security/safety measures in place than to wish we did. We need to protect our children.

Richard Ruggiero
To bolster safety in our schools, all doors should be locked once school begins. From that point on there should be only one entrance and exit for the entire school day. All other doors should be controlled and opened only from the main office in case of emergency. Anyone entering the school must come to the front entrance and enter a glass, enclosed area that automatically locks once the person is in there. Cameras are needed to identify the person, and my belief is a metal detector must also be installed. Once that person is cleared, the door should be opened and allow entry.

The entrance has to be monitored carefully. This should be a paid positions and this assigned person’s only responsibility.

Anthony Morettini
Our kids’ safety, in every dimension, must be a priority. As a Gun Sense candidate, endorsed by Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, I have plans to help protect our community from the scourge of gun violence. We have hardened our schools — improved door locks, panic buttons, School Resource Officers, and more. All of these are necessary, but they are not sufficient.

Practices like acting on warning signs of a troubled kid — unusual behavior, troubling social media posts — and ensuring guns are safely stored, at home, and homes where our kids spend time, are crucial. It will take awareness, education, and collaboration between educators, parents, and law enforcement to be successful. We must be successful. If we fail, nothing else matters.

Carly Reich
State and grant money was recently used to “fortify” physical boundaries of schools. We agree that adding cameras, panic buttons and bulletproof glass can protect lives during a shooting. We need to honor the parable of not just pulling people out of the river, but traveling upstream to investigate why they find themselves in that rushing water.

Children are feeling isolated, alone and unseen. We can bond with these kids to prevent school violence. We can promote relationships and accountability. Dr. King at MHHS notified families of an effort to treat kids with kindness and patience when caretakers notice they are heading to school unprepared to learn and thrive. Making, “Handle with Care,” district-wide, holding outreach, assemblies and broad community advertising of this program would be my policy choice.

Brian Bradshaw
Safety should be the number one priority in our district. When I served on the BWRSC from 2016-2020, I took a particular interest in the safety of our schools. I attended numerous training days with the Bristol Police Department and attended several safety meetings with the Superintendent and both towns.

We currently have a number of safety-related policies, but I believe establishing a cross-agency Safety Committee would benefit the future safety needs of the district as a whole. I would support a policy that creates this committee, similar to the Building Committee, and adds a mandatory line item in the annual budget to address safety deficiencies identified by the committee, explore new approaches to school safety, and investigate new technologies to create safer schools.

Adam McGovern
I would like to ensure that there is a district specific, independent reporting agency, where anyone can report inappropriate or suspicious behavior by an adult towards any minor within the district.

Recently, a teacher at North Kingston was removed, and now facing criminal molestation charges. The teacher was administering fat testing to students, some while nude, without parents’ permission. These allegations, that took place on school property, go back 20 years. According to an independent report, the district knew about these allegations for years and never reported them to the appropriate authorities.

When children are in school, parents and guardians expect them to be safe under adult supervision. The district needs to provide a clear reporting tool and routinely communicate this for our children’s safety.

Margaret Elise Richards
There are many levels of safety to consider in schools: physical safety from intruders, bullying/aggression, fire & weather-related emergencies, etc. Safety from adverse health reactions to poor maintenance or infrastructure conditions. Safety from conditions that adversely affect one’s mental health or ability to teach, learn and/or lead.

We have to trust our superintendent and our principals to identify needs and solutions and as the school committee, ask questions to ensure that the breadth of safety concerns are being monitored and that where possible, evidence-based approaches are being proposed. I will support policies that address both acute safety concerns (hall monitors, support for school healthcare professionals) and underlying conditions (physical building upgrades, maintaining a supportive, inclusive environment) that are critical to ensuring safety.