MONROE, CONN. (AP) -- Classes are resuming for Sandy Hook Elementary School students for the first time since last month's shooting that killed 20 children and six educators.
The more than 400 students are attending classes Thursday at a refurbished school in a neighboring town, which was formerly the Chalk Hill Middle School but renamed as the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Their original school is still being treated as a crime scene.
On Wednesday, the students and their families attended an open house at their new school. Students received gift boxes and shared joyful reunions with teachers.
The school district says parents who want to be close to their children are welcome to visit and stay in classrooms or an auditorium throughout the day. Parents were encouraged to have their children take the bus to help them return to familiar routines.
Newtown Superintendent Janet Robinson says officials will be doing their best to make students feel at ease. Police reckon it's "the safest school in America."
The gunman, Adam Lanza, killed his mother before going on the rampage at the school on Dec. 14 and then committing suicide. Police have not offered a possible motive.
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