Orange County Grand Jury • 2022-2023 • Agency Response
Response to: SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: How Prepared Are Orange County Public Schools?

Dr. SUE Johnson Superintendent Savanna School District 1330 South Knott Avenue*

Published: August 22, 2023 10 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 12 findings

F1
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. The District agrees with the finding
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Each Orange County school district should arrange for local law enforcement to do an annual safety inspection of each school. The written safety checklist should include an audit of the integrity of site boundaries and a review of safety plans and policies. This annual safety audit should The Honorable Maria D. Hernandez Presiding Judge, Orange County Superior Court August 22, 2023 commence with the 2023-24 school year by October 1, 2023, and annually thereafter. The Savanna School District agrees with the recommendation. We work closely with local law enforcement to walk our sites, review our safety plans, and assist in the refinement of plans.
F2
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. Savanna School District partially agrees with the finding. The Savanna School District is not able to respond to the means in which other LEAs conducted their drills. The Honorable Maria D. Hernandez Presiding Judge, Orange County Superior Court August 22, 2023
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
All Orange County school districts should establish a threat identification and assessment system for all school sites to monitor social media, screen for messages of concern, and manage information received in coordination with local law enforcement using MOUs, if necessary, by July 1, 2024 The surrounding cities that support Savanna School District provide the service that is being recommended. The cooperation from these entities in sharing the intel when needed is very valuable.
F3
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. The District agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Each Orange County school district, in conjunction with law enforcement, should develop and implement tabletop exercises to be conducted in district schools by December 31, 2023, and annually thereafter. The District agrees with this recommendation and is working with local law enforcement agencies toward this opportunity.
F4
Safety and security plans for on-campus before and after-school programs are not adequately addressed by school districts. The Savanna School District disagrees with this finding. The Savanna before and after school programs are well informed and participate in all safety and security drills. The Savanna School District is not able to respond to how other LEAs address safety protocols with their on-campus programs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Each Orange County school district should work with local law enforcement to plan and conduct a district-wide active shooter drill by July 1, 2024, and at least every other year thereafter. The District agrees with this recommendation and is working with local law enforcement agencies toward this opportunity.
F5
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. The District partially disagrees with the finding. As it relates to the Savanna School District, the District has consistently undertaken improvement projects to ensure our campuses are as safe as possible for our students, staff, parents, and community. We regularly present information at public Board Meetings on school safety, notify staff and parents of our safety measures, including at the beginning of each school year. (see attached examples of Memo to Staff and Letter to Parents on School Safety) The District does not have first-hand information regarding what other educational institutions throughout the county are doing to address the issue of active shooters on campus and, therefore, cannot agree or disagree with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
All Orange County school districts should develop a casualty care training program for each school in their district, to be in place by the end of the first semester of the 2023-24 school year and provided annually thereafter. The District agrees with this recommendation and regularly practices casualty care training during earthquake drills. The Honorable Maria D. Hernandez Presiding Judge, Orange County Superior Court August 22, 2023
F6
Not all schools utilize a system for monitoring campus visitors. The Savanna School District utilizes a system for monitoring campus visitors. The Savanna School District is not able to respond to the means other LEAs use for addressing campus visitors. 10 . The Honorable Maria D. Hernandez Presiding Judge, Orange County Superior Court August 22, 2023
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Safety and security plans for on-campus before and after-school programs need to be addressed more thoroughly by school districts, by July 1, 2024. This recommendation has been implemented in Savanna School District.
F7
While there is an increased awareness of the benefits of mental health counseling, not all school districts have implemented these programs in all schools. The District partially disagrees with the finding. As it relates to the Savanna School District, the District has significantly increased mental health services on each of our campuses over the past three years. In addition to a school psychologist as well as a psychologist intern on each campus, we currently have two counselors and a counseling intern on each campus. We have extended counseling services to be available during our after-school programs as well. This has been a tremendous benefit to our students and parents. Additionally, we have partnered with Care Solace to provide additional counseling resources to families and are enthusiastically awaiting the implementation of Hazel Health, an online resource for additional counseling, once the contract is approved by the Orange County Department of Education and the Orange County Health Care Agency. The District does not have first-hand information regarding what other educational institutions throughout the county are doing to address the issue of providing mental health counseling and, therefore, cannot agree or disagree with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Each Orange County school district should obtain and incorporate perimeter camera systems in all district schools by July 1, 2024, or earlier if financially able to do so, and investigate the potential use of cameras that incorporate Artificial Intelligence to enhance threat detection and prevention. Schools in the Savanna School District have between 35-40 cameras on each campus.
F8
School Resource Officers (SROs) are a valuable asset for school safety, yet many cities/districts do not allocate sufficient funds to hire needed officers. The District agrees with the finding that SROs are very valuable. Savanna strongly believes that the SROs should be financed by local cities or by the State.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
All Orange County school districts should review entry procedures on all campuses with an eye toward the use of perimeter fencing, the use of single point entry, and the use of a buzzer and camera system for entry into the main/administrative offices. This recommendation has been implemented in Savanna School District.
F9
Not all classrooms have window shades, tinted glass, or film to obstruct the interior view from the outside. The District partially disagrees with the finding. As it relates to the Savanna School District, all classrooms have window shades and tinted glass that obstructs the interior view from the outside. Additionally, all offices have window shades and tinted glass that obstructs the interior view from the outside as well as bullet-resistant film on all windows and glass doors at the front of each school. The District does not have first-hand information regarding what other educational institutions throughout the county are doing to obstruct the interior view of classrooms from the outside and, therefore, cannot agree or disagree with this finding. The Honorable Maria D. Hernandez Presiding Judge, Orange County Superior Court August 22, 2023
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Each Orange County school district should identify and implement a parent and visitor management system for each school site within the school district. This is to include identified access points, badges, or a similar identification procedure This recommendation has been implemented in Savanna School District.
F10
The camera surveillance systems utilized on many campuses require repairs, replacement, or additions. The Savanna School District agrees with the findings. Camera systems are not maintenance free and need to be replaced at times. We regularly inspect cameras and camera footage, replacing aging cameras as needed.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Each Orange County school district should implement training for all staff to identify threat-related behaviors and provide a procedure for reporting the behavior by the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. This recommendation has begun implementation in Savanna School District through a partnership with the Orange County Department of Education. The Honorable Maria D. Hernandez Presiding Judge, Orange County Superior Court August 22, 2023
F11
Many schools do not have perimeter fencing completely enclosing their campus. The District partially disagrees with the finding. As it relates to the Savanna School District, we have perimeter fencing completely enclosing each campus. while we want our schools to reflect an "open and inviting" atmosphere, we have an obligation to keep our students safe. All of our schools have perimeter fencing with one entry point. The District does not have first-hand information regarding the type or quantity of fencing other educational institutions throughout the county are utilizing and, therefore, cannot agree or disagree with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11
All Orange County school districts should develop a plan to implement or enhance mental health counseling for all schools by December 31, 2024. This recommendation has been implemented in Savanna School District and will continue as long as funding permits.
F12
A number of school districts have school site administrative offices that remain unlocked on a daily basis. The District partially disagrees with the finding. In the Savanna School District, all campus doors, including those in school offices, are locked throughout each day. Visitors are allowed in by staff after they have been identified by the use of audio and visual devices including paging phones located at the entrances to the school offices. Cameras allow staff to see who is at the door, allowing them to unlock the door on an 'as needed' basis. The Savanna School District is not able to respond what protocols are being used by other LEAs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
Each Orange County school district should assess the need for SROs or additional SROs, reaching out to appropriate community partners to facilitate funding by July 1, 2024. The District agrees with this recommendation will work with local law enforcement agencies toward this opportunity.

Additional Recommendations 1

These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.

* 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.