Dear SJUSD Families,
Today’s tragic news of the school shooting in Santa Clarita, California, has impacted school communities throughout our country. On behalf of the entire District, I extend my most heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by the event, particularly the students, staff, and families of Saugus High School and all of Santa Clarita.
In SJUSD, we have high-level safety practices and procedures:
We regularly practice safety drills.
We practice and debrief high-stakes emergency situations with support from Hour-Zero Crisis Consulting, Inc.
In January 2018, we hosted an Active Shooter Drill for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and have another drill planned for January 2020.
We use LobbyGuard visitor check-in at all school sites.
We use Anonymous Alerts application, to help students, staff and community report any/all suspicious activities, and promote the “See Something, Say Something” practice.
We have upgraded the security cameras at all our school sites and particularly at our high school.
We have a sound Volunteer process.
We have school counselors at every school site.
We have two School Resource Officers and campus security/supervisors that serve all school sites. Our SROs receive extensive training, and deliver training to our staff such as the Active Shooter course they will offer to our classified staff next month.
Parents, we are asking you to:
Be aware of the Early Warning Signs for Violence and remind other parents to notify administration or school counselor(s) if anyone sees a
warning sign, from this linked resource by the U.S. Department of Education (see page 15).
Review, if necessary, our
School Emergency Program, also posted on our website homepage under the PARENTS tab. You may contact Dawn Lawrence, SJUSD’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, at (951) 929-7700 x4411.
Report any concerns you might have regarding threats of violence, self-harm or bullying to your school site principal or other trusted adult. If there is an immediate threat, please call 911 and report.
Nothing is more important than the safety of your child(ren). Thank you for partnering with us to ensure the safety of every SJUSD student and staff member.
Sincerely,
Diane Perez, Superintendent
