Board approves school safety plans 

Andrea Paxton, chief administrator, instructional services, for the district, presented information about the plans to the board.

She noted that safety measures used within the district this year include increased camera coverage at Tehachapi High School and Cummings Valley and Tompkins elementary schools.

Installation of reflective window film and automatic locks for school offices is in progress, along with live feed cameras, she said.

District staff have received active shooter and Narcan training and there are updated daily practices at school sites. The district also continues to use the Raptor Visitor Management System at all schools.

The MyShake app, which may provide advance warning of earthquakes, is being used and the LifeSpot app is being evaluated for threat mitigation. 
Paxton said LifeSpot allows staff and school administrators to communicate through a group-texting app that also includes emergency responders.

Plans were developed for THS, Jacobsen Middle School, all three of the district’s elementary schools and the newest school — the Tehachapi Independent Learning Academy, often referred to as TILA. Each plan is tailored to the individual school site and the length of the plans varies from about 50 to 55 pages.

The stated vision for the plans is that the district “will provide a physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually safe learning environment to enable students to reach their full potential.”

Also that school staff will be trained in their role in emergency situations and serve as a positive role model for students.

Parents, according to the plans, will be encouraged to take an active part in the school’s programs and welcomed on campus for activities such as family nights.

Students also have a role and will “be encouraged to see the school as a unifying theme to bring together all students with a common idea and contribute to a safe environment and maintain academic and school behavioral standards.”

School Site Council role

The only comment on the proposed safety plans came from parent Brian Reel, prior to the board’s action.

He said he believed the plans were acceptable and should be approved but also expressed a procedural concern.

A checklist for reviewing the plans noted that the “plans are written and developed by School Site Councils,” Reel said. But in practice, he noted, the councils were “essentially handed a finished plan and asked to approve it.”

While he understood that it wasn’t practical for each SSC to actually write the plan, he said that members were also not allowed to review the plans before their meetings or to retain copies of the plans due to safety concerns.

“I think most of us thought that seemed somewhat reasonable,” he said, “but now all of the safety plans are publicly attached to the agenda. So, it seems absurd that the SSC members who are supposed to be authors of the plan, weren’t permitted (to read the plans in advance).”

He also expressed concern about the locked door policy and provided examples of times it may not be feasible and also noted that some classroom doors can only be locked and unlocked from the exterior.

“So, the real solution is giving teachers the ability to lock and unlock doors from inside the classroom,” he said. “Hopefully that’s on the radar for a future facilities improvement and may be a good subject for the Facilities Advisory Committee.”

The newly-approved school safety plans may be reviewed online as they are attachments to the school board’s Jan. 10 agenda.

Claudia Elliott is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email: claudia@claudiaelliott.net.