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Santa Clarita Sheriff Talk: SCV School Lockdowns, Safety Procedures

After four Santa Clarita Valley schools were put on lockdown last week due to two separate incidents, safety procedures followed by local schools was the focus of the latest “Santa Clarita Sheriff Talk” on KHTS AM-1220, sponsored by All American Bail Bonds.


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A total of six SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies work in partnership with local school districts to ensure safety plans are in place for the community’s 14 junior high and high schools, and to assist in covering the 38 elementary schools in the valley.

“The four districts in our valley, we have a cooperation with them so that there’s a plan for every school in case there is an emergency,” said Deputy Tom Drake, school resource deputy for the William S. Hart Union High School District.

While it may seem natural for parents to panic when they learn their child’s school has been put on lockdown, Public Information Officer Shirley Miller stressed that a lockdown is an example of a safety plan designed to keep students safe.

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“When a parent hears that term, that is their reassurance that the school does have a safety plan in place, a safety protocol in place, and that they’re prepared,” Miller said.

Referring to the Jan. 1 lockdown of McGrath Elementary School in Newhall, which was instituted due to “an unspecified threat” made on social media by a 11-year-old student who allegedly brought a knife to the school the previous week, Drake added:

“I know it’s tough to say ‘don’t worry,’ but (students) are actually safer (during a lockdown) than on a normal day. There wasn’t really a (credible) threat at the school, so the students were safe, and now you have additional deputies at the school so it’s extra protection.”

The situation at McGrath Elementary School was deemed a “soft lockdown” by officials, which means student activity remains normal, but law enforcement presence at the school site is increased for added security, according to Drake.

In the case of what Drake called a “tactical safety situation,” a standard lockdown would be instituted to stop all student activity, and those on campus would follow “shelter in place” procedures while additional deputies are sent to the school site.

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About three years ago, all Santa Clarita Valley junior high and high schools began practicing lockdown drills annually in an effort to familiarize students with procedures and help them understand the purpose of a lockdown.

“Every year, junior high and high schools will actually do an active lockdown drill either during a passing period or at lunch,” Drake said, “so the students understand that it’s important for them to remove themselves from the campus open areas and go to a sheltered location.”

Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Feature story based on a recent radio interview with the SCV Sheriff’s Station, which was sponsored by All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita.

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Santa Clarita Sheriff Talk: SCV School Lockdowns, Safety Procedures

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About Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch

Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch has been writing for KHTS since Feb. 2014. She currently writes “Community Spotlight” and feature stories, and coordinates all aspects of both the”KHTS Adopt a Pet” video feature series and “Top Things to Do in Santa Clarita.” She is the creator of “KHTS Adopt a Pet” and acted as News Editor from 2019-2020, as well as Features Director and Newsroom Manager from 2016-2018. A former Valley Publications Staff Writer, Melissa was a contributor to the Santa Clarita Gazette and Canyon Country Magazine from 2015-2016. She has published feature stories with Pet Me Magazine, The Pet Press, The Signal, COC's Cougar News, and KJAMS Radio.