Gilroy Unified certifies school safety plans after parents and students press for stronger protections and immigrant outreach

Trustees of the Gilroy Unified School District on Feb. 13 voted to certify the district’s comprehensive school safety plans after a multi‑hour discussion and a wave of public comment urging clearer protections and action for immigrant students.

Parents, students and community advocates told the board the district’s October resolution supporting immigrant families needs stronger, actionable follow‑through. “Gilroy Unified did not sign off on the county letter,” parent Andrea Hightower said during public comment, calling on the board to “show your support and develop and implement plans that will protect students and their families.” Jorge Mendoza, president of community organization Nueva Vida, said the resolution is “vague” and requested clearer, more readable communications for families with limited literacy.

The superintendent, Dr. Munshi, told the board the district has taken multiple steps since adopting the resolution: principals and front‑office staff received training (some before the resolution was adopted); counseling staff and other family resources were highlighted in district newsletters; and the district website was updated with links to state and county resources. She also urged students who feel unsupported to reach out to principals, academic counselors, social workers and recently opened wellness centers.

Trustee Delbono pressed staff on statutory guidance and the documented process for developing school safety plans. Delbono said she did not see evidence that site councils had drafted the plans (as referenced in the checklist) or that plans include the baseline data the law recommends, such as office referrals, attendance and suspension figures. “I didn’t notice any information in there about prevention efforts or strategies,” she said.

District safety coordinator Aurelio Rodriguez, a former police officer, said law‑enforcement statistics are sometimes delayed and must be requested from the sheriff’s office or Gilroy Police Department. Staff also said parts of some plans—site maps and operational details—are kept confidential and not posted publicly because of security considerations.

Anna Polito, a cabinet colleague, and other administrators said the district provides mental‑health services, social workers and wellness centers at secondary schools that inform safety practices, and they noted that not every operational support appears verbatim in the public plan documents. “A lot of things and elements that aren’t in the school site plan doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re not doing them,” Polito said.

Students also urged sharper action. Lucero Robles Ortiz, a student speaker, said she feels unsafe at school despite the resolution and asked for “concrete actions from our district leaders” including partnerships with community organizations and immigration advocates to provide training and support.

After discussion, the board voted to certify the plans. Trustees and staff acknowledged room for improvement—Delbono and others urged clearer documentation of prevention strategies, regular review with school site councils, and inclusion of programmatic data in future updates.

What’s next: trustees asked staff to strengthen the plans and to bring information about how the district will ensure site council involvement, incorporate prevention elements and clarify roles for mental‑health staff. Several trustees also requested follow‑up reports on implementation and on communication strategies to make documents more accessible to non‑English‑reading families.

Provenance: Topic introduced in public comment and board discussion beginning with public commenters (Andrea Hightower, Jorge Mendoza, Anna Mendoza) in the general‑comment period and the item‑5e discussion (SEG 246–SEG 459; SEG 681–SEG 1008).