Getting Answers: Are schools focused on the wrong threat?
STOCKTON -- Safety concerns are front and center again after another intruder made it onto the Stagg High School campus this week.
The campus breach comes nearly six months after 15-year-old Aliycia Reynaga was allegedly stabbed to death on the Stagg High School campus in April by 52-year-old Anthony Gray. He allegedly tried to grab two girls in the school's parking lot before killing the Stockton teenager and rising softball star.
SUSD leadership told CBS13 since Reynaga's death there have been changes to safety on all campuses, including Stagg's, which included upgraded perimeter fencing, added security on campus, and a dedicated security guard at the school's front entrance.
Thursday, Stagg students told CBS13 they haven't seen the changes district leadership promised.
After Monday's security breach, one student told CBS13 he felt school leadership "wasn't doing their job. Another student added, "The security guard should've been there before that happened, and it should've never gotten that far in the first place."
Another student told CBS13 she felt safe overall but would like even more security.
"The environment in the school is already really sad," said Liyah Simpson.
Stockton Unified School District's Board of Education voted to reinstate the Emergency Services/School Safety Program Coordinator position in July. The position was first cut by the same board in February 2021 and has not existed since.
The safety coordinator will start next week, according to SUSD spokesperson Melinda Meza. In this role, as outlined by SUSD online, the safety coordinator is responsible for managing the SUSD emergency preparedness program which includes school site safety plans.
The district's safety plan is currently in the process of being revamped by an outside consulting firm, Rockeye Consulting after it was deemed as not being up to date.
Final results from the consulting firm's findings, including implementation, is scheduled to be completed by December to March, according to the firm's presentation at a July board meeting.
Are schools focused on the wrong threat?
School districts across the country have opted to increase and focus on active shooter training, preparation, and drills. But according to the Educator's School Safety Network, a school safety consulting firm, active shooter situations are not the most common threat to student safety.
"If the only thing we're talking about is training for an active shooter, then we leave our schools very vulnerable to not being able to respond appropriately to all of these risks and hazards that are, potentially, much more likely to occur," said Amy Klinger, the Director of Programs for the organization.
Klinger said educators must be prepared for all incidents and with that, prevention is a key part of any school safety plan.
"Medical emergencies, severe weather events, non-custodial parents, violent and aggressive behavior by students, a whole host of things that could have equally tragic outcomes," said Klinger.
Klinger said school districts with a dedicated safety coordinator or individual with a safety role, have the potential to be helpful but sometimes give the impression to other school leaders that they do not have a role in safety, which Klinger said is untrue.
She added that anyone who receives a paycheck from an educational institution is responsible for keeping students, safe.
