Newtown schools chief: Teachers will never carry guns in town schools

Jason Adams, 46, of Currituck Road, Newtown, was charged Wednesday after police said he brought a gun to work. Adams teaches at Newtown Middle School. Jason Adams, 46, of Currituck Road, Newtown, was charged Wednesday after police said he brought a gun to work. Adams teaches at Newtown Middle School. Photo: Contributed Photo / Newtown Police Department Photo: Contributed Photo / Newtown Police Department Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Newtown schools chief: Teachers will never carry guns in town schools 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

NEWTOWN — Superintendent of Schools Joseph Erardi Jr. stood before about 100 people at Newtown Middle School on Thursday night and vowed he would never sign an agreement allowing teachers to carry guns in the town’s schools.

The declaration came a day after Jason Adams, an eighth-grade science teacher with a valid pistol permit, was arrested after bringing a pistol into the middle school.

Adams, who has taught at Newtown Middle School for 10 years, was charged with possession of a weapon on school property, a felony offense. He is on administrative leave with pay.

Erardi told the audience he expects the school district’s investigation into what he termed an “egregious event” will be completed in two or three weeks.

“I assure you it will be thorough,” Erardi said before the meeting, “and the staff member will be given the opportunity to be heard. We will maneuver cautiously, yet swiftly.”

Newtown Police Chief James Viadero, who spoke at the meeting, did not offer a timeline for his department’s investigation. Adams is scheduled to be arraigned at state Superior Court in Danbury on April 20.

Adams, 46, of Currituck Road, is not compelled to cooperate in the school district’s investigation. If convicted in the criminal case, Adams would lose his teaching certification in Connecticut.

Several people who identified themselves Thursday night as parents of Newtown schoolchildren asked if Adams had previously brought a gun into school. They also wanted to know why he did so Wednesday morning.

Viadero and Erardi said they couldn’t comment on the questions because of the ongoing investigations.

Adams, meanwhile, did not return multiple phone calls seeking comment Thursday. A woman who answered the door at his home Thursday morning waved off a reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media seeking comment.

It is not clear whether Adams had hired an attorney to represent him in the case.

A chilling reminder

While police and school officials continue their investigation into Adams, the incident and its repercussions have jangled the nerves of a community still traumatized from the 2012 Sandy Hook shootings.

“It was a very, very difficult day for staff, students, parents and the community at large,” Erardi said Thursday afternoon.

Classes were about to start Wednesday morning at Newtown Middle School when a staff member saw what appeared to be a weapon concealed under Adams’ clothing and reported it to security personnel, police said.

Authorities said Adams violated state law and district policy forbidding the possession of firearms on school property. Newtown police arrived on scene as back-up for the school resource officer in under 90 seconds, Viadero said Thursday night.

Erardi said all proceedings Wednesday morning at the school — the conversations with Adams and his police-escorted departure from school — were done out of the eyesight of students and staff.

“We attempted to talk to him,” Viadero said Thursday night. “He’s not going to comment. He’s placed under arrest.”

At least one man in attendance Thursday night defended Adams and his right to carry a pistol with a valid permit. The man said if Adams passed the background check to get a pistol permit, it should not be assumed he had bad intentions.

Earlier in the day Thursday, Viadero said he could not release any new details about the case or discuss Adams’ reasons for bringing a weapon to work, but stressed no one in the school was ever in danger.

The weapon was not drawn or used at any point, authorities said.

“We’re trying to delve into why it happened,” Viadero said. “But we are very confident there was no danger to the school population.”

The Newtown Action Alliance was one of several groups to issue statements condemning Adams this week.

“Our community is still reeling from the tragic shooting that occurred on Dec. 14, 2012,” the group said Thursday. “Therefore, we are shocked and enormously disappointed that a middle school teacher from Newtown would bring his gun onto school property (Wednesday).”

The alliance praised school administrators and Newtown police for responding “efficiently and effectively to this difficult situation.”

The group, which was formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, said the district’s policy prohibiting guns on school property should be a model for schools across country.

“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,” the statement said.

“Teachers should focus on teaching and defer to law enforcement with proper training to protect our students in schools.”

Response ‘worked flawlessly’

Newtown Middle School has a resource officer, who is part of the police staff, and a security officer. Sgt. Aaron Bahamonde said district policy allows both officers to be armed along with any on-duty police officers who happen to be at a school. But off-duty officers are not allowed to bring a weapon on school property, he said.

Bahamonde said if a district ever allows staff to carry firearms, those employees should have a thorough psychological evaluation on top of a background check and full training.

“They would have to train just like any police officer,” he said, “because we’re changing from personal protection to protecting other lives.”

Bahamonde said Wednesday’s incident was not a setback in the healing process of the community, but it “sure opened some wounds.”

“We’re trying to heal, and it’s certainly getting better, but this kind of incident bring flashbacks to people’s minds,” he said.

Erardi said the response was exactly what should have taken place from a security protocol standpoint.

“Somebody saw something, reported it and the armed officer responded,” he said.

“The staff member was appropriate without incident, but I don’t want to marginalize that piece of it. I don’t want to marginalize the issue of having a weapon in our schools.”

Viadero echoed Erardi’s comments, saying the district’s security protocol “worked flawlessly.” The chief described the incident as “unfortunate” because of the confidence parents place on teachers.

“This is someone parents believe they can trust,” he said.