Bridgeport schools get safety overhaul

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) -- A school overhaul is hitting the Park City as part of a move to increase safety measures to protect kids at Bridgeport schools.

Bridgeport leaders united on Tuesday to outline the steps they've taken to ensure the city's children are safer this upcoming school year.

"This is what school reform looks like when cities get rid of the politics and stop having two governments, one for education and one for the city," said Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. "We merge them together. We have more accountability. We get rid of duplication, we have more efficiency and who know who benefits? Our kids."

The safety precautions begin with the walk to school. The Safe Corridors program will see police, security officers and volunteers monitoring the routes students take.

"Our police officers are going to stay mobile, whether it be on a bicycle, segway, in a police car, they're going to respond for calls to service within those corridors," said Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. "Our Board of Education, security and civilian staff are going to be out in the streets visible, eyes and ears for the police department."

By the time schools starts in September, posters will mark the Safe Corridor routes for Bridgeport high schoolers. City officials say by January all schools should be participating in the Safe Corridors program.

"We're not going to be this imposing, visible presence, we want to create an atmosphere where the child feels safe," Chief Gaudett said.

Schools will also stay open later to allow kids to participate in extra curricular activities, all within the safety of their schools. Any student who causes trouble will not be sent home, but instead will be disciplined at school.

"Just suspending 10-20% of kids and putting them out on the street is a very dangerous situation, so we're going to have a very tough discipline policy, but it's going to focus on in-school suspension, after school and Saturday detention," said School Superintendent Paul Vallas.