Safer Schools - What Can We Do?*

Published: July 31, 2018 5 pages

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Findings and Recommendations 8 findings

The implementation of security measures for schools, in many cases, is limited by funding. Response to F.2.: The Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that funding is critical. The Santa Ana Unified School District's Board of Education has identified Safety and Wellness as Goal 3 and has budgeted funds to cultivate and maintain a healthy safe, secure and respectful school and working environment. Funds have been allocated for: Effective and efficient emergency response and preparedness and To improve and maintain facilities to ensure safety, security and high quality learning • environments

Related Recommendations (1)

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 Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education requested a report on the status of security measures at all District sites at its' February 27, 2018 Board meeting. All schools were evaluated in this requested study with the following areas considered: single point of entry, security, fencing, surveillance cameras and classroom door access. The completed study was provided to SAUSD Board Members in March, 2018.

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees with this finding. Schools within the Santa Ana Unified School District are safe, effective, and attractive learning environments. 1601 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-6322 - (714) 558-5501 BOARD OF EDUCATION Valerie Amezcua, President • Rigo Rodriguez, Ph.D., Vice President Alfonso Alvarez, Ed.D., Clerk • John Palacio, Member • Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Member Campus designs are intended to be welcoming, public spaces and yet cultural shifts now create targets of open campuses by those with questionable intent. The District has reviewed campus facilities and has assessed their safety and security features to determine how schools can remain safe, secure and effective learning tools and community resources.

Related Recommendations (1)

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.) Response to R.3.: The recommendation has been implemented. Since 2015, the Santa Ana Unified School District has used RAPTOR visitor management system at all its' schools. SAUSD has just upgraded RAPTOR to Version 6 which will allow the District to differentiate visitors from volunteers from contractors and has added the Drill Manger to better assist the district in monitoring compliance of mandated drills. Raptor 6 Miller Elementary A EMERGENCY SIGN OUT 8 4 8 O CONTRACTOR VOLUNTEER STUDENT STAFF B Sign in/Sign Out E Modulet ? Support 1601 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-6322 - (714) 558-5501 BOARD OF EDUCATION Valerie Amezcua, President • Rigo Rodriguez, Ph.D., Vice President Alfonso Alvarez, Ed.D., Clerk • John Palacio, Member • Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Member

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that visitor management at schools and District facilities should be a preventative measure and has implemented a visitor management protocol at all its' schools and facilities.

Related Recommendations (1)

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 aforementioned RAPTOR visitor management system requires photo identification and provides for instant screening. Each visitor/volunteer/contractor must present a government issued I.D. to be scanned against the sex offender database in fifty (50) states along with custom databases that each school can set up.

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that the ability to identify staff, visitors, volunteers, students and contractors is a best practice.

Related Recommendations (1)

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 has been implemented. The Santa Ana Unified School District directs all staff to wear District issued badges identifying them as employees of the district.

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that the ability to identify staff, visitors, volunteers, students and contractors is a best practice.

Related Recommendations (1)

All school districts with middle or high school campuses should consider using student ID cards in a format to be worn as student ID badges while on campus. (F.6.) Response to R.6.: The recommendation is partially implemented. The District provides for student identification badges at the secondary level; High School students do have ID badges, Intermediate students do not.

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that communication is vital for responsiveness in any situation whether it be in an emergency or for daily operations, The District has a radio communications system and protocol.

Related Recommendations (1)

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. The Santa Ana Unified School District has two-way communication via our emergency radio system which is used as a daily operational system. The District has 7 Motorola XPR8400 Digital LCP Repeaters within District boundaries and approximately 1,472 PORTABLE (XPR7550) Radios have been issued to all schools and itinerant staff throughout the District. Radios are assigned to Principals, Assistant Principals, Office Staff, Custodians and Activity Supervisors and others. District Warehouse and Nutrition Services Drivers along with Building Services Trades are also on the Radio System. R.S.: 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/can be implemented. The Santa Ana Unified School District has our own School Police Department. School Police responds to calls from schools related to individuals trying to access sites without authorization. SAUSD School Police records and tracks all response calls and can forward data to the Orange County Office of Education if so directed by the Orange County Office of Education. School districts should evaluate requiring each school to perform a school security

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that monitoring of security incidents is key to threat assessment and mitigation. The District is fortunate to have the only School Police Department in Orange County with Police Officers, Police Dispatch and Command Staff. Our Police Department provides the resource needed to monitor incidents that occur in the District.

No recommendations for this finding

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 Santa Ana Unified School District agrees that security assessments provide information related to physical plant and procedural issues related to security and safety. The District has recently had these assessments performed and distributed to school administration to be reviewed and included in their School Safety Plan. 1601 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-6322 - (714) 558-5501 BOARD OF EDUCATION Valerie Amezeua, President • Rigo Rodriguez, Ph.D., Vice President Alfonso Alvarez, Ed.D., Clerk • John Palacio, Member • Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Member RECOMMENDATIONS

Related Recommendations (1)

assessment to evaluate their current school safety plan. (F.9) 1601 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-6322 - (714) 558-5501 BOARD OF EDUCATION Valerie Amezcua, President . Rigo Rodriguez, Ph.D., Vice President Alfonso Alvarez, Ed.D., Clerk • John Palacio, Member • Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias, Member Response to R.9.: The recommendation has been implemented. The Santa Ana Unified requested our liability JPA-Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs (ASCIP) to provide for and conduct a Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Campus Physical and Security Threat Assessments in May, 2018 at all of our schools and facilities. The following areas were included in the assessments: Physical Barriers: Perimeter-Fencing, Security Lighting, Parking Lots, Halls/Corridors, Intrusion Detection Systems, CCTV Video Surveillance Camera Equipment, Security Personnel, Natural Surveillance, Access Points onto School/Venue, Athletic Fields/Open Areas, Electronic Assets, Other High Value Assets, Emergency Security Communications, Classroom Doors/Hardware, Classroom Fire Extinguishers, and Signage. The completed CPTED Reports have been provided to each school with the directive to have their School Site Council and/or Safety Committee review the recommendations and discuss within their revised Comprehensive School Safety Plans (CSSP) for 2018-19. Singerely, le hode Camille Boden Executive Director of Risk Management

* 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.