School Safety in San Diego County*

Overall, the San Diego County Schools studied are prepared to handle many kinds of emergencies, including active shooter situations, due largely to mandates from the State. Response to Finding 01 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 01. The safety and security of schools is our top priority. All schools within the San Dieguito Union High School District are well prepared to protect and support students in the event of an emergency. This state of readiness is the product of sustained effort and ongoing partnerships with community stakeholders, including police, fire, parent groups, Red Cross, etc.

Overall, law enforcement, first responders, parents and other stakeholders have shown interest to work cooperatively with San Diego County school studied in the prevention of possible active shooter incident. Response to Finding 02 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 02.

At the site level, there appears to be some lack of interactive collaboration with community stakeholders on the actual development of the plans. Response to Finding 03 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 03 as a general characterization for San Diego County Schools. At San Dieguito Union High School District, all of our schools use a highly collaborative and interactive process to engage stakeholders in the development of their school safety plans, engaging the site safety committees at each of their sites, which consist of parents and community members. We work with our local first responders, as needed, when we update our plans.

The Grand Jury found that some of the schools reviewed had conducted a vulnerability study of their premises. Response to Finding 04 We agree, vulnerability assessments have been conducted for all San Dieguito Union High School District schools.

Valuable learning from the recent Florida and Texas shootings is not fully reflected yet in the existing CSSPs. Response to Finding 05 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 05. It can take many months of study in the aftermath of an active shooter event before official findings and recommendations are published. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission's initial report was published on Jan. 2, 2019, and no official report has been released on the attack on Santa Fe High School in Texas. The San Dieguito Union High School District is committed to developing high quality emergency operations plans for active shooter events and works closely with our local law enforcement and first responders, as well as other stakeholder groups to update these plans as best practices emerge.

Overall, school districts in San Diego County indicated a more focused approach to active shooter response through their efforts to improve communication, add site safety precautions and adopt guidelines for Options-Based Responses in this year's or next year's Comprehensive School Safety Plans/Emergency Operations Plans. Response to Finding 06 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 06. The San Dieguito Union High School District has made significant investments to prevent, respond to, and recover from an active shooter event. District staff have completed the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE)'s "Options-Based Response" Training of Trainers course. All schools participate in lockdown drills.

All San Diego County Schools in the Grand Jury study claimed to have conducted or have scheduled drills within the current school year on emergency procedures directed towards intruders on campus, but not specifically armed assailants. Response to Finding 07 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 07. All San Dieguito Union High School District schools conducted lockdown drills during the 2018-19 school year.

Drills (conducted or planned) center mainly on the presentation of procedures but are progressing toward becoming more realistic and dynamic, which helps create a "mental model" for preconditioning staff and students to act with immediacy. Response to Finding 08 The San Dieguito Union High School District disagrees wholly with Finding 08 as it implies that "realistic and dynamic" drills are appropriate for students. In their "Best Practice Considerations for Schools in Active Shooter and Other Armed Assailant Drills" the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Resource Officers offer the following guidance regarding drill intensity: f For some participants, this intense exposure and practice may empower them with experience, options, and a sense of control. For others, this type of drill may be emotionally traumatic (Frosch, 2014). (p.4) Schools should start with simple, low-cost, discussion-based exercises (e.g., introductions to crisis responders, orientation activities, use of instructional media, or tabletop drills) and, if the school safety team determines it appropriate, work their way toward more complex and expensive, operations-based exercises (e.g., walk-throughs, specific emergency drills, and crisis simulations). (p.5) California Education Code gives local school site councils the responsibility and authority to revise and approve the Comprehensive School Safety Plans (and the Emergency Operations Plans included therein). In keeping with this, decisions about the type and intensity of emergency drills are best evaluated at the local level.

As a note of recognition, Sweetwater Union High School District has gone above and beyond state requirements for safety training by demonstrating excellent and thorough levels of preparation. Response to Finding 09 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 09.

Funding for active shooter response and preparedness is given high priority for some districts. Response to Finding 10 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 10. Providing funding for active shooter response and preparedness is a high priority for the San Dieguito Union High School District. The San Dieguito Union High School District has implemented a new communication system, conducted threat assessment team training, conducted crisis intervention team training and improved security measures districtwide. With rising pension and special education costs, as well as declining enrollment putting pressure on school district budgets, additional state funding specifically for safety improvements would help the San Dieguito Union High School District finance additional school safety measures.

Before and after school programs need to be better addressed in safety plans. Response to Finding 11 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 11. The planning cycle we use to create and revise school safety plans has continuous improvement as its goal.

Many districts expressed a need to train all adults on campus in safety procedures. Response to Finding 12 The San Dieguito Union High School District agrees with Finding 12.