3 days Ago By Sarah Rodriguez
This year alone in the United States, there have been roughly 83 reported school shootings. Whether you’re a student, educator, or resident, it’s a nightmare that likely strikes a chord. Besides the back-and-forth debate on the government’s response to gun violence, with the most recent school shooting in Madison, Wisc.
, the conversation is once again at the forefront. So what is the Vallejo City Unified School District doing to prevent potential threats? Although details on how the district plans to address any type of crisis or emergency are not publicized, its safety plans are updated annually. Regarding the traffic of weapons into the schools, the district has been piloting a program at Jesse Bethel High School this year with EVOLV Technologies to install sophisticated metal detection systems.
These walk-through systems, similar to those you might enter to get into a concert or baseball game, are partially looking for weapons, guns, knives, etc. “It definitely has supported our school feeling safer, students themselves feeling safer,” said district superintendent Rubén Aurelio. “The challenge with systems like that is, they’re only as good as them being monitored.
” The reality of the situation, as the superintendent described, is that these systems are ultimately not going to protect students in the case of a school shooting but instead are “intended to be a deterrent.” As for situations where a crisis is underway or a threat is already within school walls, the district is ensuring that staff has the proper training. “The biggest thing we can do is make sure our adults are trained on how to handle situations when we call for lockdowns or shelter-in-place,” said Aurelio.
And when it comes down to security, the district has made a point to strengthen relationships and communication with local law enforcement. Establishing partnerships with local police departments “has been really powerful,” Aurelio said. In its effort to do so, regular meetings take place with the interim police chief of the Vallejo Police Department, where they stay up to date with neighborhood happenings and discuss the types of support needed at the school sites.
As of now, the district has intent to solidify a few plans it has already experimented with. Last spring, it piloted a program in partnership with the city closing off portions of Nebraska Street in front of Vallejo High School. The idea for the program stemmed from an incident that occurred the year prior, in which a VCUSD campus security employee was injured in a drive-by shooting.
Besides some of the obvious inconvenience it may pose to drivers, we felt that the pros really outweigh the cons,” said Aurelio, “It’s something we are looking to bring back as a permanent feature.” School resource officers are another resource the district is open to implementing. With stretched police resources, however, it’ll have to wait.
“It is something we would definitely consider in the future when available,” Aurelio said. In a conversation with the interim chief of police Jason Ta, the superintendent said, “We both agree that it’s a good program when it is done well. It’s just, right now it’s a staffing issue.
” As far as more immediate safety resources go, Aurelio feels that “the best thing we can do is obviously maintain the partnerships we’re establishing with both the city and the law enforcement.”.
