Monroe school ready for Newtown students

MONROE, Conn. (WABC) -- The Chalk Hill School in Monroe is ready for students.

This will be the new home for the children who went to Sandy Hook Elementary.

And though the adults haven't decided exactly when school will resume, administrators want students to see their new school, to get comfortable here, this week.

"We definitely, at the very least want to give the children the opportunity to see their new school and become as comfortable as they possibly can in a new area. (Before the Christmas break?) Hopefully, yes," said Debbie Leidlein, Newtown Board of Education.

As for the older students, some of whom were out, grieving together Monday night, school will open Tuesday for the first time since the shooting.

Many are eager to get back to something normal, but not Claire.

"I'll spend a lot of time with my friends and a lot of time with my family and that's just how I heal," Claire said.

"We're able to talk about it and are able to say what we feel because we are so close with them," a student said.

And the Board of Education is OK with that.

"We tried to be very sensitive to everybody's concerns. We understand that some people feel that they are ready and some people don't and we're going to work with everybody all through the process and get everybody what they need to get through this that's what is truly important to us," Leidlein said.

"It's good for them to get back and get into a routine and see their friends, I think for the older ones, high school, middle school, definitely they should go back," said Stephanie Galetzki, a parent.

At school, children will have access to professional counseling and, along with the comfort of friends, they feel that's crucial.

"We want to provide children with counseling and one of the ways that we can do that is to have them back in school. It's also good for them to have the opportunity to talk together and to start the grieving process together. We feel that, that is important," Leidlein said.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE NEWTOWN SCHOOL SHOOTING SCENE

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connecticut, school lockdown, shooting, newtown, newtown school shooting, mass shooting, northern suburbs news, jim dolan

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