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SUSD board policy change

Saugus Union School District Superintendent Discusses School Safety In Wake Of Threats

In wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, and multiple recent threats to Santa Clarita Valley schools, Saugus Union School District Superintendent Joan Lucid notified parents of the district’s safety plans.


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The superintendent shared what the district does when they receive information that threatens the safety of students or staff, as well as what residents can do to make schools safer.

“School safety is a priority for our schools and these past few weeks have highlighted that importance,” said Lucid. “The focus has led to worrisome thoughts and conversations by students, parents and communities.”

Nothing is more essential than the safety of the children in Saugus Union schools, she said.

“Excellence in elementary education is important and a safe environment is imperative for learning to occur. This means physical safety as well as mental and emotional safety,” she said.

Saugus Union schools partner with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station to provide access to School Resource Officers (SROs) when needed, according to district officials.

See Related: Social Media Threat Made To West Ranch, School Remains ‘Safe For Students And Staff’

“Currently, the deputies are conducting on-demand lockdown drills and providing our sites with feedback to affirm and improve our safety drill,” said Lucid. “This partnership with the Sheriff’s provides one more layer of security for our sites.”

Measure EE is providing electronic door locking systems at all sites and should be completed by the end of this school year, said district officials.

Single points of entry have been identified and renovations at school sites are being put into place as state approvals for these projects are acquired. Gates are locked during the school day and all visitors and volunteers are required to sign in at the school office, according to Lucid.

A more modern visitor management system will be installed at school sites shortly, and will require all volunteers and visitors to sign in electronically, and receive a badge with a picture and notation as to where they are going on campus.

“Our Saugus Union teachers instruct their students to ensure that safety drills and protocols are understood and followed,” Lucid said. “Together, our teachers, administrators and staff keep up to date on safety measures and are consistently vigilant about safety and security on their sites.”

“Our teachers talk to and listen to children regarding any safety concerns and follow up with parents and guardians to discuss further when necessary,” Lucid said. “Additionally, many of our administrators and staff members have their own children sitting in desks beside your children.”

See Related: SCVi Lockdown Lifted After Possible Threat, Suspect Detained

Administrators at sites are experienced in investigating concerns of safety and threats of harm to students and are trained in school safety protocols, according to district officials.

“We serve children from Pre-K age to sixth graders and our responses are not exactly the same for every child nor for every comment made,” Lucid said. “The age and the nature of the comments are considered, investigated and consequences determined based on the student’s age and individual circumstances.”

One of the greatest challenges for administrators is sifting quickly through the incredible volume of information related to a potential threat, Lucid added.

“When people are concerned, they sometimes inadvertently post misinformation online through Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. and social media,” she said. “That actually makes the job of the school administrators much more challenging.”

As parents and guardians, residents are part of the most effective resources the district has for helping children be safe at school, according to officials.

Those resources include strong two-way communication; reporting any threat of harm toward students to the school, law enforcement, or both; and using reasonable protocols together to create an environment that reassures students that they are safe to learn.

Here are behaviors and roles the district utilizes and recommends to create the safest possible schools:

 

Administrators and School Staff:

-Always listen to students, parents and others when a threat is reported. No threat is ignored.

-Always thoroughly investigate each threat even when the student says “I was joking” or “They knew I was kidding around” or “I was just trying to be funny.”

-Communicate with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station in an ongoing manner throughout any threat of harm to students.

-Investigate each element of the threat to obtain the truth. This can include reviewing social media postings, talking to students, talking to staff, talking to parents, etc.

-Communicate with parents as much information as is reasonable, respecting that district employees will not discuss one parent’s child with another parent.

-The parent of the student making the inappropriate or threatening remark will usually be contacted first, as their child will be removed from the school or separated from the student body while the investigation is being conducted.

-During the investigation, the priority is safety. Parents may not be contacted before their children visit with administrators if time is of the essence. Safety, again, is the first priority. However, if a child is witness to a threat and talked to specifically about that threat, every effort will be made to contact their parent about that discussion, even if it is the next day due to time constraints.

-Provide consequences to students who make remarks or threats that substantially disrupt the school environment and lead to unsafe conditions for learning. This discipline can include removal from the traditional school setting in keeping with California Education Code.

-Honor students who have been a part of the effort to make schools safe by telling their parents or their school leaders.

-Cooperate with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station if threats result in any further action.

-On a regular, on-going basis, administrators have been educating and will continue to educate students regarding inappropriate remarks, threatening comments, etc. and the seriousness of those remarks in a school setting.

 

Parents and Legal Guardians:

-Please remind your children that they have a right to a safe school and an outstanding education. Also remind them that they are exceptionally valuable, so telling an adult at school when they hear something is reporting and not tattling. Tattling is when you are trying to get someone in trouble.

-Reporting is when you are trying to make things better.

-Please listen to your children’s comments and monitor their social-media posts. If you are aware of something that could threaten the safety of your child or another child, please contact the school administrator and/or Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s. The district and station work hand-in-hand and will notify each other of the threat or safety concern.

-Please redirect your children if you see a pattern of negative gossip or disruptive comments that could carry over into school.

-Please praise your child when they are making wise choices about social media and are choosing not to participate in disruptive/negative/intimidating comments or social media posts.

-Please make every effort to not post information on social media or share it with others related to school safety unless you are positive it is fact. Misinformation shared by parents or citizens outside the school actually makes the school more unsafe as the administrators have to investigate that information as well as the information that is going on inside the school.

-If, after visiting with your child’s teacher and/or principal, you have ongoing concerns about what is discussed in this list, please don’t hesitate to call district officials directly.

 

Students:

-Remember that it is your school. You deserve to be safe at school and your parents and school staff are working together to that end.

-What you say, as a student, is taken seriously by the adults in your life. If you hear that something is unsafe or another student is going to hurt someone: tell your parent or tell an adult at school.
Students, just like adults, are held accountable when they say something that causes others to be afraid at school or unsafe at school. Serious consequences will be issued by Saugus Union Schools’ administrators for a student who substantially disrupts a safe learning environment for other children through threatening remarks or comments.

-What you put on social media is the same as saying it out loud to a school administrator or to your parents. Even when posts are taken down, others take screenshots of them and they can resurface later. That is called a “digital footprint.” You may think everyone in the chat room or everyone you are sharing the information with is your friend, however, when people become fearful, your deleted information may surface. Post wisely.

-If you see or hear anything that can make the school safer, tell the adult you trust most at school and have them share that with administrators or tell the administrator directly. Many incredible solutions for school safety come from the people who are at school every day – the students.

“We collaborate as a team of administrators and district leaders to determine the best way to communicate with parents during a time of heightened concern,” Lucid said. “We want to keep parents up to date, but sharing information before an investigation is complete is unwise and could be a source of fear that is unnecessary.”

When a threat is being investigated, the challenge for an administrator is that the primary focus is on the threat, according to district officials.

“We recognize the importance of continued communication because you have trusted us with your children,” Lucid said. “Thank you for reading this information and communicating with your children about it. The employees of Saugus Union Schools are here to provide the highest quality education for your children in the safest possible environment.”

Did you spot a correction? Let us know by emailing Corrections@hometownstation.com

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Saugus Union School District Superintendent Discusses School Safety In Wake Of Threats

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.