Contra Costa County Grand Jury • 2019-2020 • Agency Response
Response to: Do Our Public Schools Have Adequate Emergency Supplies?

Liberty Union High School District

Published: September 10, 2020 21 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 8 findings

F1
The California Education Code does not specify the type of o supplies schools should maintain for emergencies.  The district concurs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Each Contra Costa County school district board should o consider adopting the Contra Costa County Office of Education Emergency Supplies list (minimum standard list) for its schools and identifying funding sources to purchase the supplies, by December 31, 2020  This recommendation has been implemented... • The district staff formally recommended the Board of Trustees approve the adoption of the enclosed Contra Costa County Office of Education Emergencies Supplies list during the September 9, 2020 school board meeting. The District has already secured funding sources to procure the supplies.
F2
Each Contra Costa County school district determines its own o emergency preparedness plans (based on California State Education Department guidelines), including the amount and type of emergency supplies to maintain at its schools.  The district concurs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The Contra Costa County Board of Education and the Contra Costa County Office of Education should consider assisting school districts by identifying and applying for federal, state, corporate, and non-profit organization grants that fund the acquisition of school emergency supplies,
F3
The Contra Costa County Office of Education posts on its o website a recommended list (minimum standard list) of emergency supplies for school districts.  The district concurs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Contra Costa County school district boards should o consider applying for federal, state, corporate, and non-profit organization grants to fund the acquisition of school emergency supplies, by June 30, 2020. 006310.00003 28939280.1 • This recommendation has been implemented. The district is constantly researching external funding sources such as grants to promote instruction, support and safety for the District’s students and employees. The District intends to continue to search for funding opportunities including ways to procure emergency supplies.
F4
Some Contra Costa County school districts did not demonstrate o that they maintain supplies in conformity with the Contra Costa County Office of Education minimum standard list.  The district concurs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Each Contra Costa County school district board should o consider developing a plan to identify organizations that provide CPR and First Aid certification refresher training for district teachers, by December 31, 2020.  This recommendation will not be implemented at this time because there is neither a legal obligation nor the resources available to implement such training Districtwide.1 • The District has multiple relevant job descriptions that may require CPR and First Aid training, including: special education paraprofessionals, campus supervisors, school nurses, licensed vocational nurses, all athletic coaches, school site and district administrators. • Education Code 49413 provides that a district MAY provide such trainings. The safety of our students and employees is always our top priority. • The district is in a contract with an agency that provides the above-referenced employees with initial and refresher CPR trainings. A component of the district’s CPR training include how the above- referenced employees learn to operate the strategically stationed forty-three (43) Automated External Defibrillators (AED) across the district’s five school campuses. • We feel confident we can continue to promote the safety of our students and employees and not require or sponsor CPR and First Aid training for our four hundred plus teachers employed by the District. • As for First Aid, the District has a full-time Registered Nurse who provides each school’s “Health Clerk” with First Aid trainings and will continue to provide ongoing refresher trainings. • We will offer the four hundred plus district teachers an opportunity to voluntarily sign-up for CPR and/or First Aid trainings and refresher trainings. As an aside, it may be worth noting that when the District was approached with questions on these topics by the Grand Jury, this particular inquiry on CPR and First Aid trainings was not posed to the District. 006310.00003 28939280.1
F5
Some Contra Costa County school districts fund purchasing o and replenishment of emergency supplies through their annual budgets, but most school districts in Contra Costa County fund them through parent or community donations.  Without speaking to what other districts in the County do, Liberty Union High School District uses its general funding source to purchase and replenish its emergency supplies and have not relied on parent or community donations for 006310.00003 28939280.1 this specific purpose. Instead, the District has typically relied on parent and community donations to directly fund classroom and extracurricular activities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Each Contra Costa County school district board should consider developing a plan to identify funding, if necessary, to provide CPR and First Aid certification refresher training for district teachers,
F6
Contra Costa County school districts can apply for federal, o state, corporate or non-profit organization grants to help pay for the cost of acquiring and maintain school emergency supplies.  The district concurs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The Contra Costa County Board of Education and the Contra Costa County Office of Education should consider applying for federal, state, corporate, and non-profit organization grants to fund voluntary CPR and First Aid certification refresher training for teachers, by June 30, 2021. Contra Costa County 2019-2020 Civil Grand Jury Report 2008 Grand Jury Reports are posted at http://www.cc-courts.org/grandjury
F7
Each Contra Costa County school district has either a o designated safety/resource officer or a school administrator who fills the safety/resource officer role.  Without speaking to what other districts in the County do with respect to this issue, the Liberty Union High School District is under contract with the cities of Brentwood and Oakley to assign sworn police officers as school resource officers (SRO.) The SROs are employed by their respective cities. No other district employee “fills the safety/resource officer role.” Most noteworthy, the Brentwood and Oakley Police departments, coordinated by the three District- assigned SROs, provided all District employees and students with comprehensive trainings in safety issues including active shooter drills. Each of the schools within the District have an assistant principal who oversees school safety and the District employs seventeen (17) campus supervisors to promote the safety of each school.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
PRESENTATION(S) 7.01 Presentation of District's 2019-2020 Unaudited Actuals 7.02 Presentation of the Liberty Union High School District's Online Distance Learning from a Teachers' Perspective 7.03 Presentation of the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan
F8
There is no legal requirement that teachers renew CPR and o First Aid certification training after teachers initially obtain their teaching credential.  The district concurs. • Recommendations
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
PUBLIC HEARING (S) 8.01 Conduct Public Hearing of the Liberty Union High School Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan 8.02 Conduct Public Hearing of Resolution 2020-22: Sufficiency of Instructional Materials