School Officials Asked Massachusetts To Send National Guard To Address ‘Urgent’ Concerns. Gov. Healey Says No

Officials at an embattled school district in Massachusetts reportedly asked Democratic Governor Maura Healey to send in the National Guard to help with discipline last week, but Healey refused.

Four members of the Brockton School Committee asked the governor to send the National Guard to deal with issues such as repeated student and teacher absences, violence and drug use on school grounds and students verbally abusing staff, MassLive reported. Healey refused their request, claiming that sending the National Guard would not be “appropriate,” according to the outlet.

“I don’t think the National Guard is appropriate,” Healey told reporters Monday, according to the outlet. “I do understand though the concerns raised by the school committee and others in the community.”

Healey’s administration said it would respond to the requests by issuing a grant to pay for an audit of the school’s “safety condition” to assess the next best steps, according to the outlet. Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler is also poised to work more closely with the district to resolve the safety issues, MassLive reported.