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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Nevada County Grand Jury
• 2017-2018
Recommendation 6 The Nevada County Superintendent of Schools, school districts, and local law enforcentent should
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Recommendations 8
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R1The Nevada County Superintendent of Schools should coordinate with school districts, law enforcement, parents and guardians, and students in the development of a highly summarized parents' guide on what to do and not to do when a lockdown or other emergency happens. This guide should contain uniform instructions that are generic to all schools. Additionally, each school should add instructions that are site specific to their school location and circumstances and distribute to teachers, parents and guardians, and high school students at the beginning of the year and each semester thereafter. Agree As our current plan does not include a parent guide, uniform instructions developed in conjunction with the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools and law enforcement would provide beneficial information to our community members on what to do and what not to do in an emergency situation.
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R2The Nevada County 5u perintendent of Schools shou ld coord inate with school districts, law enforcement, parents and guardians, and students to develop a uniform, workable plan that responds to the appropriate use of social media during actual emergencies and drill exercises. Agree The appropriate use of social media by parents and students during actual school emergencies should be addressed in the parents' guide referred to ln Rl.
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R3The Nevada County Superintendent ofSchools should develop the means to train teachers in uniform safety and security protocols and include the exercise and use of the "ALICE" CHICAGO PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT 15725 Mt, Olive Road, GGss Valley, CA 95945 (s30) 346-21s3 Fax (530) 346-8ss9 DanEElEr-Superintendent Katie Kohler, Principal standard in each of the schools. Additionally, each school district's board should direct and fund the deployment and training of this exercise. Disagree The NCSOS already has developed a means to train teachers (and students) in uniform safety and security protocols that include "ALlCE" trainint. chris Espedal, the NCSOS Safety and S.hool Climate Coordinator has already in-serviced staff and students at ChicaSo Park, with plans to have her back on an annual basis for on-going teacher training. lt is not the board's position to direct and fund an exercise such as this; it is an administrative duty.
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R4'the Nevada Superintendent of Schools should iocrdinat. !.,':th distri.ts !nd -<chools to establish a standard of communication between the front office and the teachers, regardless of their location. Disagree Communications durint an emergency between our front office and teachers is in place as stated in our local emergency procedures plan. Once teachers have been .ontacted by the office, a callto the NCSOS to make them aware of our emergency is protocol.
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R5Each district and school should conduct a thorough physical evaluation of classroom security and visibility including inside door locks, appropriate shading, and camera systems. Each school should be required to be in conformance with the physical demands and characteristics of a comprehensive school safety plan. Atree All classrooms at Chicago Park have inside door locks, appropriate shading, and evacuation routes listed by the entrance of the room. There is a camera system installed with 13 stratetically placed cameras around the aampus for security measures. Ai1 updoted comprehensive federal and local school safety plan was approved by our safety committee and school board in the spring of 2018. A quick reference guide which lists procedures for emerten.ies such as lockdowns, evacuation for wildfire, shelter in place, emertency phone numbers, etc., is readily accessible for teachers in their classrooms,
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R6The Nevada County Superintendent ofSchools, school districts, and local law enforcement should collaborate on the use and deployment of Resource officers that encompass all of our schools. Neither Agree or Disagree CHICAGO PARK SCHOOL OISTRICT u.'is 15725 Mt, Olive Road, Grass Valley, CA95945 (530) 346-2153 Fax (530) 346-8559 Ilnfid When an officer's presence is needed on campus (which is not very often), our protocol is to contact Dispatch at the County Sheriffs Dept. and they send a deputy out. Sometimes it's a R€sourae Officer and sometimes it is not. Based on our distance frgm where our Resource officers are stationed, I am glad that our needs are not solely limited to the availability of a Resource Officer and a patrol car is sent instead.
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R7The Nevada County Superintendent of School should coordinate with school districts, law enforcement, porents and guordians, ond students in the development of a highly summorized porents' guide on whot to do ond not to do when a lockdown or other emergency happens. This guide should contoin uniform instructions thot ore generic to oll schools. Additionally, each school should odd instructions that ore site specific to their school location and circumstances ond distribute to Response to Grand Jury Report, "Safety and Security at Nevada County Schools" of3 teochers, parents and guardions, ond high school students at the beginning of the yeor ond eoch semester thereofter. The development of a parent's guide would help to improve communication, alleviate fear, and assure parents that collaboration between responding agencies is in place and practiced. The recommendation requires further analysis, collaboration and discussion between agencies and school sites. Nevada County Superintendent of Schools does not have the authority to require school districts to participate in the development of such a guide but is willing to collaborate and provide resources as requested.
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R8FollowinS the creation of a model program for outside assembly and accounting, each school district should direct their schools to exercise thls model and, in conjunction with local law enforcement, develop and incorporate the site-specific procedures necessary to conduct a safe and secure evacuation. Agree chicago Park practices evacuation drills on a monthly basis. students are ngt excused from the drill until everyone is accounted for. A discussion at the following staff meeting ensues to assure we are operating in the safest, most efficient manner when .ondu.ting these drills, Evacuation routes are pgsted inside each classroom including the computer lab, art room, and tymnasium. A master key has been placed ln a lock box (at the request of law enforcement) at the chicago Park store so they would have immediate access to all buildings on campus upon arrival. coNctustoN We are very proactive at Chicago Park School when it comes to safety. We practice fire and earthquake drills as well as lockdowns and shelter in place. Our safety committee meets monthly and reviews oLrr local safety plan throughout the year. We have brought in Chief Bierwagen from the Chicago Park/Peardale fire department to help us develop a wildfire evacuation plan. We are constantly bringing updated safety policies to the Board to maintain a policy blnder that reflects the most current practices available to us. Oneofthemostvaluable tools for safety we have is Chris Espedal, our County School Safety and Climate Coordinator. She has provided a wealth of knowled8e to staff by conducting brief yet powerful traininBs in ALICE, and met with our K-3 and 4-8 students at assemblies to discuss safety not only at school, but at home and while in the community. I am grateful the Grand .lury has taken an active role in assessing the safety of our schools. Thank you, .r ,a', \LL-I-L - \.t Dan Zeisler Superintendent