Senator seeks information from top officials on school shooting threat response
By The Star Staff
Senate Education, Culture and Tourism Committee Chairwoman Ada García Montes requested information Wednesday from Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés and Public Safety Secretary Alexis Torres Ríos on actions taken to deal with threats of active school shooters.
The request for information comes after an unfounded report that an active shooter would attack Manuel García Pérez High School in Rincón.
“What happened on Monday caused the activation of a protocol in all the schools in Rincón, which created chaos because it was not known for sure which school was under threat,” García Montes said in a written statement.
Schools in the area were on lockdown or lockout during the event.
“That seems unacceptable to me since it deals with the lives of teachers, teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as students, among others,” the senator added.
García Montes expressed the need for schools to provide training against active shooters just like they do for earthquakes and tsunamis.
“Students, parents, and teachers deserve to know that schools are safe places for everyone,” she said.
The senator added that the staff of the Senate Education Committee is conducting an analysis that includes the filing of legislation to address the problem.