Orange County Grand Jury • 2017-2018 • Agency Response
Response to: Irvine Unified School District

Irvine Unified School District*

Published: July 16, 2018 5 pages
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Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F6

Findings and Recommendations 7 findings

F2
The implementation of security measures for schools, in many cases, is limited by funding. Response to F.2. The Irvine Unified School District agrees with this finding. The extent to which our school district can implement the type and degree of security measures is often dependent on available funding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
School districts should re-evaluate the lack of secure fencing on all school campuses and present a report to their respective boards by December 31, 2018, outlining their plans to make campuses more secure. (F.2, F.3) Response to R.2. The recommendation has been implemented. The Irvine Unified School District Board of Education received a recommendation from staff, at their March 27, 2018 meeting, to initiate a Comprehensive Safety Study Session to include a variety of topics, including physical barriers in and around District schools. The study session is scheduled to commence in early fall 2018.
F3
Many Orange County school campuses were constructed to reflect an "open and inviting" atmosphere but are now faced with physical and philosophical security issues that challenge this thinking. Response to F.3. The Irvine Unified School District agrees with this finding. As safety and security remains a top priority, the Irvine Unified School District continuously engages with stakeholders and community partners to address these security challenges through the implementation of advanced technology in and around school buildings. BOARD OF EDUCATION PAUL BOKOTA / LAUREN BROOKS / BETTY CARROLL / IRA GLASKY / SHARON WALLIN TERRY L. WALKER, Superintendent of Schools JOHN FOGARTY, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services / BRIANNE FORD, Chief Technology Officer EAMONN O'DONOVAN, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources. / CASSIE PARHAM, Assistant Superintendent, Education Services. IUSD... providing the highest quality educational experience we can envision. July 16, 2018
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
School districts should implement procedures to ensure that all campuses maintain a complete, daily log (electronic or manual) of every visitor and volunteer entering and exiting the campus, excluding program events such as awards ceremonies or stage or musical productions. (F.4.) July 16, 2018 Response to R.3. The recommendation has been implemented. The Irvine Unified School District implemented a web-based electronic management system to track campus visitors at all District schools in 2016.
F4
While every Orange County school district reported the use of a campus visitor sign-in process, there is a lack of procedural consistency among school campuses. Response to F.4. The Irvine Unified School District disagrees wholly with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District implemented a district-wide, web-based, visitor management system in 2016. The procedure established by the District is consistent when campus visitors check-in with the visitor management system.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
School districts should implement procedures to ensure that photo identification is required of all campus visitors and volunteers before a visitor's badge is issued. (F.4, F.5.) Response to R.4. The recommendation has been implemented. The use of the web-based visitor management system, put into effect since 2016, requires the presentation of a valid government photo identification before a visitor's badge is issued.
F5
Many districts or school campuses do not require all teachers, staff, and volunteers to wear ID badges while on campus, making identification of authorized personnel difficult for substitute teachers, student teachers, visitors, volunteers, and first responders. Response to F.5. The Irvine Unified School District agrees with this finding. F. 6. Currently, student ID badges, which could easily distinguish students from non-students of similar age, are not required to be worn by Orange County middle and high school students. Response to F.6. The Irvine Unified School District agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
School districts should implement procedures to ensure that all faculty and staff are required to wear visible photo ID badges while on campus. (F.5.) Response to R.5. The recommendation requires further analysis that will be explored and discussed at the Board of Education's Comprehensive Safety Study Session in early fall 2018.
F7
Campus personnel and volunteers, while on duty outside the classroom, have an inconsistent usage or availability of communication devices for emergency situations. Response to F.7. The Irvine Unified School District disagrees wholly with this finding. In the Irvine Unified School District, two-way radio communication is provided to campus control assistants, noon duty supervisors, custodial staff, plant supervisors, and administrators. These two-way radios have the ability to communicate directly with on-campus staff, other District schools, District Administration Center, local law enforcement, and with the District's Emergency Operations Center, when activated.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
School districts should evaluate available communication devices and ensure that custodial and supervisory personnel, as well as safety resource officers, playground supervisors and coaches, have two-way radios or equivalent communication devices with them at all times, enabling instant two-way communication with the office. (F.7.) Response to R.7. The recommendation has been implemented. In the Irvine Unified School District, two-way radio communication is provided to campus control assistants, noon duty supervisors, custodial staff, plant supervisors, and administrators. These two-way radios have the ability to communicate directly with on-campus staff, other District schools, District Administration Center, local law enforcement, and with the District's Emergency Operations Center, when activated. July 16, 2018
F8
There is no documentation or reporting protocol within the districts of individual security incidents, making it difficult to track, analyze, and summarize such incidents. Response to F.8. The Irvine Unified School District disagrees wholly with this finding. In the Irvine Unified School District, reported security incidents that meet certain criteria are tracked by Campus July 16, 2018 Safety Services. Security incidents that are not reported or that do not meet certain criteria are not tracked in a database or records file.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
School districts should consider requiring that all campus incidents of unauthorized access be recorded, tracked, and reported to the district office on a quarterly basis. All districts should share these reports with the Orange County Department of Education. (F.8.) Response to R.8. The recommendation has been implemented. The Irvine Unified School District maintains a close relationship with school resource officers. Incidents of unauthorized access and/or suspicious activity on school grounds are immediately reported to local law enforcement. These incidents are likely tracked by internal law enforcement databases. In addition, the District will share the reports with the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) when OCDE establishes a procedure for collecting the reports.
F9
While every Orange County school develops a school safety plan, few schools have used an individual school security assessment to identify deficiencies or to develop the required plan. Response to F.9. The Irvine Unified School District disagrees wholly with this finding. In the Irvine Unified School District, an internal School Safety Checklist is used by individual schools to help them develop the Safe School Action Plan (security assessment) in the Comprehensive School Safety Plan. RECOMMENDATIONS
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
School districts should evaluate requiring each school to perform a school security assessment to evaluate their current school safety plan. (F.9) Response to R.9. The recommendation has been implemented. Schools currently use an internal security checklist to aid in the development of their safety plans. Based on the findings from this study, the District replaced the internal checklist with the K-12 school security assessment tool provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Sincerely, Terry L. Walker Superintendent Irvine Unified School District

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.