NH joining ten-state conference on student safety

CONCORD - New Hampshire will send a multi-department delegation to next month’s National Governors Association convening in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 9-10. The meeting, entitled Strategies to Promote Child Health, Wellbeing and Safety in Schools and Communities, will bring together top education, health, and public safety officials from ten states to share best practices on improving student safety. New Hampshire has been awarded a grant from NGA Solutions to send a three-person team to Minnesota.

"By cutting through department silos and focusing on our shared objectives, New Hampshire has been on a fast track to disrupting the pathway to violence in schools and promoting the safety of all students in the Granite State. We have made great progress, and are working hard to make schools safer," wrote Gov. Chris Sununu is requesting the NGA grant.

Deputy Education Commissioner Christine Brennan will serve as leader of the three-person team, which also includes Associate Health and Human Services Commissioner Christine Tappan and Shannon Desilets from the Governor’s Office, Program Coordinator for the state's Choose Love program. All three serve on Gov. Sununu's School Safety Preparedness Task Force. State departments meet monthly to coordinate implementation of the Task Force’s 59 recommendations.

Department of Safety Assistant Commissioner Perry Plummer will address the conference on the School Safety Preparedness Task Force, which he chaired. Task Force Coordinator Michelle Clarke is also attending.

"Gov. Sununu has made student safety a top priority," Brennan added. "In asking New Hampshire to participate in this ten-state conference, NGA Solutions recognizes the progress we’ve made. We look forward to sharing those lessons with other states, and learning from their examples."

Read the entire Student Safety Preparedness Task Force report.