Pulverizing of Sandy Hook School Begins

It was a plan months in the making, but construction crews this week began the take-down of Sandy Hook Elementary School. "Rarely has a major tear-down been conducted in such a hushed manner," observes the Los Angeles Times. Passers-by will have no view of the work site, which the AP reports is staffed by contractors who have signed confidentiality agreements; workers will also guard the perimeter to ensure no photos are taken.

Further, every bit of material (down to the jungle gym) will be pulverized on site; metal will be hauled away and melted down in an effort to eliminate nearly every trace of the building—and prevent any bit of it from ending up "on eBay," says the town's first selectman. Demolition will conclude before the Dec. 14 anniversary of the shootings, and a new school will eventually be erected on the same land. But there will be changes. For one, the entrance will be moved so people won't have to pass by the firehouse, where parents waited to learn of their children's fates on the day of the shooting. (More Sandy Hook Elementary School stories.)