The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury has released a new report examining the readiness of local schools to prevent and respond to active shooter incidents, offering several recommendations to strengthen safety measures across the county.
The investigation found that while all Santa Barbara County school districts have developed required safety plans and conduct drills for teachers, staff and students, there is room for improvement in preparing for what the Grand Jury called an “unimaginable tragedy.”
“Children are our most precious resource,” the Grand Jury stated in its report, noting that since the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999, there have been over 400 school shooting incidents nationwide, resulting in more than 200 children and educators killed and nearly 400,000 children directly exposed to such violence.
“The likelihood of such a shooting occurring is extremely low,” the report acknowledged. “But the consequences are so devastating that every community needs to take every precaution within reason to prevent or minimize it.”
Key Recommendations
The Grand Jury’s report examined three main areas: identifying potential threats before they escalate, building physical security to prevent campus access or minimize damage, and encouraging wellness programs to address root causes of violence.
Among the key recommendations:
Training and Education
- The County Education Office’s School Safety Seminar should be recorded and placed online
- School districts should require all personnel to view the seminar
- Administrators should attend the seminar in person at least once every two years
- Training should extend to every employee and student on campus, including substitute teachers and temporary employees who might otherwise be overlooked
Physical Security
- All county schools should employ School Resource Officers
- Every school should establish anonymous reporting pathways, including physical drop-boxes, for students to report suspicious activities
- Schools should implement specific security measures for visitor access
- Each school should analyze its campus for sufficiency of video cameras, two-way communications devices and other security innovations
Compliance with State Law
The California Education Code requires every public school district in the state, grades K-12, to maintain a Comprehensive School Safety Plan. Districts with enrollments larger than 2,500 must have a distinct plan for each school.
The Grand Jury found that Santa Barbara County school districts have developed their plans on schedule and conduct required drills, though the report emphasizes that additional measures could further enhance preparedness.
The full report is available here.
The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury consists of 19 volunteers from across the county who serve one-year terms. As a division of the Superior Court, the Grand Jury provides oversight of government agencies, cities and districts throughout Santa Barbara County.
Members of the public can share concerns or learn about Grand Jury service at sbcgj.org, where the full report and other Grand Jury findings are available.
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Interesting. I’d say the Grand Jury should next take a close look at SBUSD’s absurd reliance upon iPads to educate our kids. Statistically, that’s an order of magnitude more of an issue than this active shooter stuff.
Off topic cry baby drivel from a beta male, noodley armed conservative.
BASIC – um….. the funk you just say? Using iPads for classwork and homework is “an order of magnitude more” statistically important than protecting kids from active shooters blowing holes in their heads?
What in the actual fock is wrong with you dude? When did any kid get his/her face blown off by an iPad? What “statistics” did you compare?
It is absolutely shocking that you were ever allowed near students. Jesus Effing Christ, man.
If your kid child isn”t thriving academically that’s on you dude, You probably need to help more af home. Or send them to a trade school. Parents like this are mentally unavailable to their kids at home and then cry and blame the school for not helping. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps kid.
Exactly. They demand teachers do their job PLUS the parents’ job and then cry and moan about their taxes being used to give teachers the occasional pittance of a raise.
If you’re as smart as you keep trying to tell everyone, help your kid learn outside of class. I guess the truth is finally coming out…
Ms. Bee, I am glad you are a “former” educator. What an absolute pathetic post to make on a beautiful Friday night during graduation season. Perhaps you should take time to reflect and look inward.
The safety of our children and staff in our local schools, and schools nationwide, should not be controversial. Too many folks get emotionally wrapped up over the subject and will overlook the obvious. When you mix that with the “Us vs Them” attitude it’s no wonder nothing gets done and bad decisions are made. Worse yet is when NO decisions are made by those who prefer to “waffle” away valuable time…time that we don’t have. Actually listening to each other is a good first step and keeping politics out of it is a good second step. There’s a line in an old song my uncle’s band used to perform: “Nobody’s Right if Everybody’s Wrong.” We need to listen people and stop the bickering.
BEES – wth are you on about? NO ONE thinks safety at schools is controversial. Where did you even come up with this? Decisions about preventing school shootings have, at least in a civilized town such as this, been unequivocal and decisive. You and BASIC are the only ones thinking otherwise.
Was just informed the name of the song that has the lyrics “Nobody’s Right if Everybody’s Wrong” is ‘For What It’s Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield (1967). Great song that has a lot of lyrics that are applicable today almost 50 years later. Give it a listen…easily found on YouTube.
Social media drivel dominates your thought processes.