As
the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, continues to reverberate with each of us, I
want to make sure that you, our parents and community members, know the
National School District has taken several steps in recent years to protect the
well-being and safety of our students and staff.
School
safety and security is critically important to the district. We have safety
plans in place at each school and provide continual training to our staff so
they know exactly what to do in case of an emergency. Additionally, this
training is reviewed and modified as needed.
District
safety plans are integral to our mission to provide our community’s children
with a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn, and are routinely updated
to prevent tragedy from striking National City.
Additionally,
we work hand-in-hand throughout the year with our local law enforcement to
ensure our campuses are safe places for everyone, every day. Officer John
McGough and Officer Richard Calixto, our two school resource officers from the
National City Police Department, are familiar faces at each of our campuses and
dedicated to student and staff safety.
As
parents and community members, I understand your concerns and want to share
some of the safety measures the district has in put place:
● As mentioned, the district
has a unique relationship with the National City Police Department, which has
assigned us two school resource officers who have a presence at all our schools
and the Sweetwater Union High School District campuses. These law-enforcement
professionals make regular appearances on campus and are on-call for immediate
assistance at any school site.
● All of our campuses are secured.
Guests can only enter via the front office and must sign in and obtain a
visitors pass to be allowed access to classrooms or other areas of the school.
In addition, our campuses have used the Ident-A-Kid visitor management system
at every site since 2015 to allow the office staff to better identify frequent guests,
such as volunteers, as well as unwanted visitors.
● The district uses School
Messenger, which has the capability to deliver emergency information by voice,
text and email messaging, as well as Twitter to communicate information quickly
and efficiently to those signed up for the services.
● California requires all
public schools to have a comprehensive school safety plan. Our school sites
update theirs in collaboration with National City police, and our Governing
Board reviews them by March 1 each year. A summary is available to the public,
while a confidential copy is held at each campus for training and reference
purposes.
● We practice what to do in
case of an emergency so that first responders will be able to quickly reach the
scene of a critical incident. Schools conduct monthly drills to perform lockdowns,
fire evacuations and earthquake response. These drills soon will be expanded to
include critical incident procedures, which is how we will respond to any
unexpected occurrence that may cause people to be afraid.
● District administrators and
staff have received training in how to respond to active- shooter situations.
The most recent training took place on Jan. 8 of this year. An active-shooter
simulation is scheduled for this summer, and will include National City police
and firefighters, along with district administrators and teachers.
In
addition, the district recognizes the mental-health challenges faced by
students and work to address their social and emotional needs. We have counselor
and/or psychologist support available at all school sites, as well as a new
district social worker.
The
district also has implemented the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports
(PBIS) system that uses positive approaches to encourage good behavior. We
strongly believe that setting clear expectations and creating an inclusive,
respectful school culture leads to student success.y school site.
● All of our campuses are secured.
Guests can only enter via the front office and must sign in and obtain a
visitors pass to be allowed access to classrooms or other areas of the school.
In addition, our campuses have used the Ident-A-Kid visitor management system
at every site since 2015 to allow the office staff to better identify frequent guests,
such as volunteers, as well as unwanted visitors.
● The district uses School
Messenger, which has the capability to deliver emergency information by voice,
text and email messaging, as well as Twitter to communicate information quickly
and efficiently to those signed up for the services.
● California requires all
public schools to have a comprehensive school safety plan. Our school sites
update theirs in collaboration with National City police, and our Governing
Board reviews them by March 1 each year. A summary is available to the public,
while a confidential copy is held at each campus for training and reference
purposes.
● We practice what to do in
case of an emergency so that first responders will be able to quickly reach the
scene of a critical incident. Schools conduct monthly drills to perform lockdowns,
fire evacuations and earthquake response. These drills soon will be expanded to
include critical incident procedures, which is how we will respond to any
unexpected occurrence that may cause people to be afraid.
● District administrators and
staff have received training in how to respond to active- shooter situations.
The most recent training took place on Jan. 8 of this year. An active-shooter
simulation is scheduled for this summer, and will include National City police
and firefighters, along with district administrators and teachers.
In
addition, the district recognizes the mental-health challenges faced by
students and work to address their social and emotional needs. We have counselor
and/or psychologist support available at all school sites, as well as a new
district social worker.
The
district also has implemented the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports
(PBIS) system that uses positive approaches to encourage good behavior. We
strongly believe that setting clear expectations and creating an inclusive,
respectful school culture leads to student success.
Finally,
we have the benefit of parents, students, teachers, administrators and staff on
our campuses and we ask that you report any unusual or suspicious activity.
Please talk to your children to remind them that they can also report anything
suspicious. We want everyone on our campuses to be empowered to speak up about
anything that looks out of place. Please reach out to your school principals or
site administration for guidance and questions. And thank you for your support.
Finally,
we have the benefit of parents, students, teachers, administrators and staff on
our campuses and we ask that you report any unusual or suspicious activity.
Please talk to your children to remind them that they can also report anything
suspicious. We want everyone on our campuses to be empowered to speak up about
anything that looks out of place. Please reach out to your school principals or
site administration for guidance and questions. And thank you for your support.
