Irvine Unified School District*

Law enforcement, first responders, and other stakeholders have demonstrated a strong interest in working cooperatively with Orange County public schools to mitigate the risk of an active shooter incident; establishment of MOUs between law enforcement and school districts would strengthen this cooperation. Response to F1: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District cannot comment on the professional working relationship that other Orange County public schools may have with their law enforcement/fire partners, or with other stakeholder groups. In the Irvine Unified School District, there is a strong collaborative working relationship with the Irvine Police Department at all levels of the organization to address violent intruder procedures and trainings on campus. Both the Irvine Unified School District and the Irvine Police Department have current MOUs in place so the police department can access the District's camera systems and student directory information. BOARD OF EDUCATION PAUL BOKOTA / LAUREN BROOKS / JEFF KIM / KATIE MCEWEN / CYRIL YU TERRY L. WALKER, Superintendent of Schools JOHN FOGARTY, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services / BRIANNE FORD, Assistant Superintendent, Information Technology EAMONN O'DONOVAN, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources / CASSIE PARHAM, Assistant Superintendent, Education Services IUSD ... providing the highest quality educational experience we can envision.

All Orange County public schools studied by the Grand Jury stated that they conducted or have scheduled drills within the current school year on emergency procedures addressing intruders on campus, but not all have done so specifically regarding armed assailants. Response to F2: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District cannot comment on any emergency drills that other Orange County public schools may have scheduled during the current school year or to the scope/depth of any such drills. In the Irvine Unified School District, in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, the Irvine Police Department recommitted their training resources to every school campus and facility in the District. At the start of the 2022-23 school year, all District schools received violent intruder training during the first half of the school year. Violent intruder trainings will continue into future school years.

While all districts prioritize the safety of students and staff, the attention and resources devoted to active shooter preparedness and response vary from district to district. Response to F3: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District cannot comment on the prioritization of student and staff safety at other Orange County public schools and therefore is unable to determine how active shooter preparedness and response vary from district to district. In the Irvine Unified School District, student safety is one of the top priorities. The District allocates the necessary time and internal/external resources to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a violent intruder event.

Safety and security plans for on-campus before and after-school programs are not adequately addressed by school districts. Response to F4: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District does not have access to safety and security plans at other Orange County public schools and therefore is unable to establish if their plans adequately address before and after school programs. In the Irvine Unified School District, the annual comprehensive school safety plan has a specific section titled After-School/Extra Curriculum Emergency Protocol (Section 1; Part 12) for school administrators or their designee to complete.

While many Orange County public schools have installed fences, cameras, and other methods to address the issue of active shooters on a campus, there are still opportunities for improvement. Response to F5: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District does not have direct knowledge of other Orange County public schools' safety and security systems and therefore are unable to establish if their plans adequately address violent intruders on campus. Nevertheless, the Irvine Unified School District agrees that there are still opportunities for improvement regarding planning for, responding to, and recovering from a violent intruder incident.

Not all schools utilize a system for monitoring campus visitors. Response to F6: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. If the question is focused on "all schools" in Orange County, the Irvine Unified School District cannot comment to security/safety protocols at other Orange County public schools for monitoring campus visitors. In the Irvine Unified School District, the Raptor Technology - Visitor Management System is used at all schools, as one tool, to monitor campus visitors.

While there is an increased awareness of the benefits of mental health counseling, not all school districts have implemented these programs in all schools. Response to F7: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District cannot comment on mental health counseling and other related mental health programs that may or may not be occurring at other Orange County public schools. In the Irvine Unified School District, there are a variety of mental health counseling supports available to students. Tier 1 social/emotional learning (SEL) programs, including "Second Step," are implemented in elementary school classrooms. Additionally, most elementary sites utilize data from the "Panorama" screener to determine where additional interventions are needed. All elementary sites will be utilizing Panorama for the 2023-24 school-year. Many of the secondary sites have begun implementing SEL activities, as well as the Panorama screener. Our district goal is to support all sites in using Panorama data to inform SEL at all tiers. School sites also have access to Behavior Interventionists who are available to observe, consult, and coach staff on supporting students who exhibit Tier 3 behavioral challenges. The District employs licensed Mental Health Therapists (MHS), Elementary Resource Counselors (ERC), and Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) counselors for all tiers of support. Each elementary school is staffed with a full-time ERC. The larger elementary sites have additional ERC allocations. Additionally, some sites also have a part-time Guidance Assistant. Each middle school is assigned a full-time MHS and each high school is assigned two fulltime MHS, as well as Tier 2 Project Success support. ERMHS allocation at each site is determined by IEP-goals. These professionals provide short-term evidence-based mental health services to students in small group or individual settings. Additionally, each secondary student is assigned to a school counselor who, in additional to providing academic support, also provides socio-emotional counseling. Any suicide screener also includes a preliminary screener for a possible threat. Depending on the student response, or supporting data, a threat assessment may also be required. In the event a threat assessment is required, a CSTAG-trained assessor would intervene as appropriate. Most of our sites have at least one person trained on the CSTAG model and the District will offer additional trainings for the 2023-24 school year, with the goal of having at least two people trained at each site. Any site that needs additional support can also contact Student Services and one of the trainers provides consultation. The District has their own counseling center staffed by licensed clinicians to provide support to Irvine families. The Family Resource Center (FRC) offers short-term mental health services, case management, assists with resource linkage, and provides psycho-educational workshops on a variety on mental-health related topics. IUSD also contracts with "Care Solace," which is a Mental Health concierge service, who offers support to families and students requiring longer-term care, to appropriate mental health providers outside of the school district. Starting with the 2023-24 school-year, all Irvine school families will also have access to free, personalized teletherapy through Hazel Health.

School Resources Officers (SROs) are a valuable asset for school safety, yet many cities/districts do not allocate sufficient funds to hire needed officers. Response to F8: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District cannot comment on budget discussions and allocation of resources at other Orange County cities and school districts to fund SROs at their public-school campuses. In the Irvine Unified School District, there are eight (8) full-time Irvine police officers assigned to the middle and high schools; four (4) full-time Irvine police officers assigned to the DARE program at the elementary schools; and one (1) Irvine police sergeant assigned to the Youth Services Unit.

Not all classrooms have windows shades, tinted glass, or film to obstruct the interior view from the outside. Response to F9: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. If the question is focused on "all classrooms" in Orange County, the Irvine Unified School District cannot comment to classroom window shades, tinted glass, or security film at other Orange County public schools. In the Irvine Unified School District, the overwhelming majority of exterior windows in a classroom have tint and/or window coverings that obstruct the interior view from the outside.

The camera surveillance systems utilized on many campuses require repairs, replacement, or additions. Response to F10: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. If the question is focused on "camera surveillance systems" in Orange County public schools, the Irvine Unified School District cannot comment as to the current state of repair, replacement, or additions of these systems. In the Irvine Unified School District, there were 1,784 camera views throughout all District schools and facilities. In November 2022, the District implemented a Phase 3 installation of 542 additional cameras, increasing this number to 2,326 camera views. As a sustainable security and safety program, the District allocates annually a budget to repair and replace broken and outdated cameras and other equipment necessary to operate the surveillance system.

Many schools do not have perimeter fencing completely enclosing their campus. Response to F11: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. If the question is focused on "schools" in Orange County public schools, the Irvine Unified School District cannot comment as to perimeter fencing that may or may not completely enclose their school campuses. In the Irvine Unified School District, some schools do have perimeter fencing around certain areas of concern but perimeter fencing in general do not enclose entire school campuses.

A number of school districts have school site administrative offices that remain unlocked on a daily basis. Response to F12: The Irvine Unified School District disagrees partially with this finding. The Irvine Unified School District cannot comment as to the site operations of every school district in Orange County and whether school site administrative offices remain unlocked or remain locked on daily basis. In the Irvine Unified School District, school site administrative offices are monitored by camera systems and are unlocked during the normal school hours. In the event of an emergency, each school site administrative office has the ability to lock the front door(s) by pushing an emergency door lock button located at the front office desks.