It’s been almost four years since the devastating Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six members of staff.
Finally, this week, the new school building – designed and created with the tragedy in mind - has been unveiled to the public.
The new Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was made possible with a $50 million State grant and features top-of-the-range safety features.
Set to open next month, the new school will cater to children from pre-Kindergarten right up to Fourth Grade (in which students are typically aged between nine and 10).
During a media tour of the new school yesterday, First Selectwoman of Newtown, Patricia Llondra, talked through some of the new safety features.
“We wanted to create a space at the highest levels to honour every victim, every student, every family,” she said.
As well as constant video surveillance, the entries and exits to and from the school are monitored by a key card system. The building’s safety features are said to have been approved by some of the US’ top experts.
The old school was knocked to the ground shortly after the massacre, carried out by Adam Lanza, on 14th December 2012. In the interim, students were relocated to a nearby vacant school.
Among the main features in the new school is a memorial garden dedicated to the victims of the massacre; one of the most shocking mass shootings in US history.
