Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents, union and trustees press El Rancho Unified for clearer safety steps after campus knife incident
Summary
Public commenters and the district's union urged El Rancho Unified trustees to tighten safety protocols and staffing after a recent knife incident at Rancho High, calling for more school police, clearer communication and an ad hoc safety committee. The board accepted the audit and said safety protocols will be presented at the next meeting.
A wave of public concern about student safety dominated public comment at the El Rancho Unified School District meeting on Jan. 21, as parents, union representatives and board members pressed the district for concrete changes after a recent incident at Rancho High.
"What are we gonna do or what can we do to better protect the kids?" asked a parent during the public comment period, reflecting a broader set of questions from several speakers who described feeling unsafe on campus. Several callers told the board they had viewed videos of the incident and said they wanted clearer guidance for students and families on where to run or hide during an emergency.
Alejandro Acosta, president of branch 17 of the school employees' union, told the board the district should restore a fourth school police officer and hire additional security. "We do need to hire more school police officers," he said, citing recent episodes at district sites and urging more consistent training and staffing to keep students and staff safe.
Trustees and administrators acknowledged the concern and described next steps. The superintendent said the district would bring the chief of police to the next meeting to present safety protocols and said existing responses at the campus had been carried out by trained staff and on-site officers. Board members requested an ad hoc safety committee, quarterly "all-hands" safety meetings and clearer communication protocols so parents and staff receive timely, accurate information.
Board members did not adopt new policy at the meeting, but several asked for rapid follow-up. One trustee urged the superintendent to return with a communication plan that explains who is notified, when, and how, after an incident. Another trustee asked that any proposed changes include stakeholder representation and be scheduled as an action item for a future meeting.
The meeting also included remarks from district staff about earlier campus lockdown procedures; administrators said the on-site response time was fast and credited school staff and law enforcement for averting a worse outcome. The board voted in favor of forming follow-up work and recording safety as a priority for the next meetings.
What's next: the district plans to present its safety protocols at the next board meeting and to outline communication steps and potential staffing changes for trustees to consider.
