Superintendent Apologizes for Communication on Momauguin Lockdown

Dr. Portia S. Bonner fielded a few phone calls Thursday morning from parents who wanted to know why they found out about a lockdown at Momauguin Elementary School from their children and the evening news, and not the district.

"I have to apologize to the community in terms of how they're finding this out. There was no intent to hide anything," Bonner, the superintendent of East Haven Schools, told Patch Thursday.

When Momauguin went into lockdown Wednesday afternoon the regular school day had ended. The after school program was in session, though, and those students were in lockdown for about 15 minutes until East Haven Police gave the school an all-clear. Bonner did not recall the number of students in the program when Patch spoke with her Thursday.

The lockdown was a precaution, as police investigated a report of an argument involving a gun near the Cosey Beach Avenue school. Three men were arrested in relation to that incident.

"All students were safe," Momauguin Principal Mark Levy wrote in a letter that was sent home with students on Thursday. "Please know we took every precaution to ensure students were safe and secure."

According to Bonner, Levy was not at the school during the lockdown; he had left to tend to personal obligations, she said. A memo documenting the lockdown was signed by Head Teacher Sharon Villano.

Bonner said that normal procedure is for the district to send out an alert to parents after a lockdown ends, not when a lockdown is put in effect or during it. Given the time that this lockdown occurred, an alert was not sent out, she said. The letter was sent home the next day, instead.

"If it was during school, there would be a connect-ed going out," Bonner said, referencing the service the district uses to communicate with parents.