Despite Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School having armed security on campus and a student body that was trained on what to do during an active shooter incident, Nikolas Cruz was still able to gun down 17 people in ten minutes at the school in south Florida.

School officials around the country and in Santa Clarita are revisiting school safety measures in light of the latest attack.

On Wednesday, yet another United States school shooting resulted in the deaths of 17 people and 14 others being wounded at the hands of Nikolas Cruz, a former student who had already been expelled from the school in Parkland, Florida.

Immediately confessing to being the shooter once apprehended by Broward County deputies an hour later, it was discovered that Cruz had used an AR-15 to conduct his massacre, and that despite the campus having an armed security guard, he was still able to massacre his former classmates and then escape the scene.

Additionally, authorities were made aware of Cruz’s troubled past and potential for violence after numerous social media posts and ties to white supremacist groups had been discovered.

However, Cruz was still able to march through his former school, shooting a semi automatic rifle, reloading with additional magazines he brought with him and cause one of the deadliest school shootings in recent history.

https://twitter.com/TheCaptainAidan/status/963868088683900931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2018%2F02%2F15%2Fus%2Fstudent-live-tweeting-florida-school-shooting-trnd%2Findex.html

And while the attack in Southern Florida received national attention, gun violence and violence toward schools has recently come into the spotlight even here in Santa Clarita.

On Wednesday, KHTS reported a story about Castaic Elementary School receiving a threat due to a domestic violence issue involving a teacher. And although the suspect had been apprehended before the school became aware of the potential threat, administrators took steps to provide for the safety of their staff and students, including hiring a private security firm to remain on the school’s campus for a week.

Furthermore, the Castaic Union School District (CUSD) is taking actions to file temporary restraining order against the suspect.

In addition to CUSD taking further steps to ensure the security of their students, the Hart School District has, for years, implemented policies and drills to ensure the safety of those on their campuses.

“A couple of years ago, we began doing lockdown drills on every single campus twice a year,” said Dave Caldwell, Hart School District Public Information Officer. “One where we talk about a possible situation and figuring out what we would do, and then the other one involves us actually practicing and doing the drills.”

The district also maintains a policy of having both the Junior High and High school campuses fenced in and locked during school days.

“If there is a gate open during school hours, there will be a campus supervisor in place,” said Caldwell. “We also have a great relationship with the Sheriff’s department who have assigned our schools deputies known as Student Resource Officers (SRO).”

Photo courtesy of CNN.

These Sheriff’s deputies are each assigned a junior high and high school, and have a “visible presence” on their schools’ campuses and play a “vital part” in school security, according to Caldwell.

And while some Santa Clarita parents have expressed concern, with some even stating that they would like to see armed volunteer security guards on campuses, Caldwell stated that not only is that against current school policy, but that it would also infringe upon the learning atmosphere school officials wish to implement in their classrooms.

“Current policy is that no staff member can bring a weapon on campus,” said Caldwell. “We truly do strive to make each of our campuses a warm and inviting place, where students and staff can feel safe, learn, and develop friendships and skills that will serve them in the future.”

Students on Hart District campuses have options to increase their own personal sense of comfort and feeling of security, according to Caldwell.

“Each and every school has a tip line that students can text anonymously whenever they feel uncomfortable,” said Caldwell. “We want our students to know that if they’re worried about their or their classmates’ safety, that they can use this feature on campus because it’s a great tool.”

Photo courtesy of CNN.

Caldwell stressed that students should feel safe, but cautioned, “If You See Something; Say Something.”

“For us, the most important thing is that every student feels safe. That environment is of paramount importance to us,” said Caldwell.

For more information about the William S. Hart School District, visit their website here.

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