A task force of local Newtown, Conn. leaders unanimously voted to raze the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six adults were killed Dec. 14, and build a new school at the same site. After much debate, the 28-member committee made up of elected officials ended up coming down to two options, either rebuilding on the current site or another one around 200 yards away, details the New York Times.
Before making its unanimous decision, the committee heard from community members, all of whom favored building on the same site. Earlier, teachers and parents of a child who was killed urged a change of venue for the new school, but on Friday the feeling that prevailed was that the school was a central part of the community.
It was an emotional night for the elected officials, many of whom “had tears streaming down their cheeks moments after the vote,” points out the Wall Street Journal. The ordeal is far from over though as the Board of Education still has to approve the motion and then the town will have to vote in a referendum. Demolition could start as soon as early January 2014 and will take around 19 months, reports the Hartford Courant.
