Gary Thomas, Ed.D. County Superintendent

Superintendent's Message

School Safety Always A Priority For County Schools

Prior to the holidays in December, the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut shook families across the country and around the world with the helplessness everyone feels following such a senseless act of violence. The shooting also peaked concerns and elevated conversations about the safety of students and staff on school campuses and the broader discussion of gun violence in our communities.

While tragic events like Sandy Hook draw attention to school safety, from an educational perspective, we know that school safety is an ongoing priority that takes constant attention to details and procedures taking place on all the campuses in our county. To maintain safe schools, we know that efforts must be developed in partnership with multiple agencies that can provide a network of support for students and their families, as well as staff who teach and provide clean and safe campuses.

With more than 414,000 county students attending public schools at more than 530 sites, keeping school campuses safe is a complex daily task. At the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools office, we have partnered with law enforcement, government, districts and faith-based organizations, as well as business, labor and community leaders, to develop programs that not only promote the safety of our schools, but also proactively seek to address concerns that go beyond the borders of our campuses and into our neighborhoods and communities.

Among some of the programs in which the County Schools office has been a partner include:

San Bernardino Countywide Gangs and Drugs Task Force - meets monthly and has established a goal to undertake a countywide strategic plan to address concerns about gang and drug activity.

Law Enforcement and Education Partnership - a group of educators, law enforcement officials, community and business leaders that meets regularly to discuss safety issues that impact youth and looks to align agency resources to address these issues.

School Attendance Review Board - appointed school, district attorney and social service representatives preside over hearings of students who exhibit behavior problems, irregular attendance or truancy and determine appropriate interventions.

School Safety Plan Training - trainings to assist schools with developing mandatory annual safety plans for school sites that list procedures for dealing with emergency situations and keeping students and staff safe if and when a crisis occurs.

What's striking about many of the programs above is how many of them address safety concerns that extend far beyond the walls of the classroom. Another good example of county agency collaboration was the recent premiere of a film on human trafficking in our region produced by the district attorney's office. Unfortunately, this is an issue that impacts schools with students as young as 12-13 years of age being drawn into this destructive lifestyle. Just as we have tackled other societal issues that touch our schools - from gangs and drugs to truancy - I pledge that our County Schools office will continue to work with the district attorney and our other educational partners to combat this horrible crime and keep our young people safe.

Just this month, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Christopher Hart, addressed a collaborative group of county officials that included district superintendents, elected officials, law enforcement and justice officials concerning work to have high reliability processes in place to reduce risk hazards and improve safety outcomes. These measures capitalize on the existing cooperative efforts already in place in our county.

Data and research conclusively show that if students are engaged in learning activities at school, as well as at home, and parents are involved in their children's education, they are less likely to engage in negative behaviors and more likely to be successful at school. Countywide data shows that our truancy rates, suspensions and dangerous expulsions are at the lowest levels in the past six reporting years.

I will address the issue of safety in our schools during my annual State of Education update that will take place on March 5 at the California Theatre of Performing Arts here in San Bernardino. School safety, as well as several other relevant educational topics from academic achievement to career and college readiness, will be part of my address. I look forward to continuing the dialogue with our students, families, educational partners and communities about keeping school safety at the forefront of our efforts on our campuses countywide.