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Stratford, Conn. Town Council Votes To Name School For Slain Teacher

STRATFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Town Council in Stratford, Conn., voted Monday to name a school after a teacher who was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and hailed as a hero.

The council took the vote Monday night.

Victoria Soto, a 27-year-old resident of Stratford, was killed as she tried to shield her students from the gunman inside Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children ages 6 or 7, and six women, at the school on Dec. 14 before committing suicide.

Some of the children from Soto's classroom escaped harm, and there have been reports that Soto hid some of her students from the approaching gunman.

"In the days since the tragedy in Sandy Hook, the stories of bravery and heroism by Stratford's own Victoria Soto have been both heart-wrenching and abundant," Stratford Mayor John Harkins said last week. "She gave her life protecting children, and we must make sure her sacrifice is never forgotten."

Harkins said he had met with Soto's family and discussed how the town could honor her memory.

Construction is scheduled next summer on a new school in Stratford, and Harkins said he wants it named for Soto.

A petition also has been started to rename a street in Stratford after Soto, and members of her 2003 Stratford High School class have started a scholarship fund in her name.

Do you think the school should be named after Soto? Sound Off below.

(TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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