LTUSD to adjust safety procedures in wake of recent school shootings

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Since January 1, 2018 there have been 18 school shootings in the United States, 25 fatal school shootings since 1999's Columbine High School tragedy. With the deadly shooting February 14, 2018 at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, many communities are looking at their own schools and their safety procedures to help prevent a repeat of a tragic event.

What is commonplace at schools across the country are drills for "shelter in place" and for students to understand what to do, and not do, in case of an emergency.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) leadership, in partnership with local law enforcement, continues to make school safety a top priority.

Each time a mass casualty incident (MCI) occurs in this country, the School Site and District Safety and Security teams review and refine their security policies and procedures according to information gleaned from an incident.

In Florida the shooter was able to create confusion as he pulled a fire alarm prior to his starting to shoot. The students had just had a fire drill earlier in the day so nobody knew what was going on. In South Lake Tahoe there has been a procedural change as a direct result of the Florida shooting:

Effective Immediately: Fire alarms will be followed by an announcement over the PA and phone system with direction to evacuate or to stay put. All staff and students are to WAIT for an announcement before evacuating. A determination is usually made within 1 minute. When evacuation is required for an emergency or for a drill, security and other staff will ensure evacuation by walking door to door.

LTUSD has the following lock down drills at least twice per school years.

Here are their lock down procedures:

- Doors locked
- Windows locked
- Curtains/blinds closed
- Lights off
- Down and away from windows/doors
- Maintain quiet
- Complete Google Student Accountability form
- Complete hardcopy Student Accountability report
- Watch for updates via email, keeping kids quietly informed. Students may text parent/guardian.
- Remain in place until released by announcement or administration

What has become evident in many crisis situations is the use of social media. While it is encouraged to contact family members and loved ones with a text to let them know your status, it is not considered a safe habit to post on social media where one is during the event. This allows perpetrators to follow social media and know locations.

While most school sites don't allow connections to social media on their networks, people find a way/ Facebook suggests people "check in as safe" on their site. It doesn't show exactly where the potential victim is location, just that they are safe, thus alleviating the panic the loved ones are experiencing.

Just this week, LTUSD completed an Active Shooter Event training facilitated by FBI agent, Glenn Norling. Additionally, LTUSD maintains an assessment and list of recommended strategies for the safety and security of students, staff, visitors, and property, for each school site and will be making recommendations to the Board of Education for enhanced security measures:

In addition to performing regular lock-down, shelter-in-place, and evacuation drills at South Lake Tahoe school sites, LTUSD currently:

- Employs 1 full-time School Resource Officer (SRO/Police Officer) at South Tahoe High School/Mt. Tallac;
- Employs 3 full-time campus security assistants at South Tahoe High School/Mt. Tallac;
- Maintains 52 active cameras on and around South Tahoe High School/Mt. Tallac.
- Employs 1 full-time and 1 part-time campus security assistants at South Tahoe Middle School.
- Maintains 1 on-call School Resource Officer at all schools.
- Maintains 24 active cameras on and around South Tahoe Middle School.

Students in the school district are encouraged to ACT: Acknowledge, Care, Tell an Adult when they hear, see, or otherwise learn of, information about the threat of a student’s safety or well-being. Most often students will see distressing posts on social media and they know to report what they see to a teacher or administrator. They know that reporting can save lives and prevent tragedies. They also feel safe about the confidentiality of reporting because of the trust that exists between staff members and students.

Per Dr. James Tarwater, LTUSD Superintendent, the district will soon be recommending the following security enhancements to the LTUSD Board of Education:

- A full-time School Resource Officer at the Middle School, who will also support the elementary school campuses on-call.
- Additional part-time campus security personnel at the elementary campuses.
- Fencing and barriers intended to restrict entry and exit areas at the Middle and High Schools.
- New procedures for entry and exit at Middle and High Schools.
- Additional signage for visitor entry, wing, and classroom identification.
- 28 additional cameras to be installed at the Middle School.
- 20 additional cameras to be installed at the High School.

"However, beyond the aforementioned safety and security measures, LTUSD recognizes and firmly believes that the grass roots issue plaguing our country and our schools is mental health," said Dr. Tarwater. "The District intends to augment its existing counseling, intervention, and wraparound services programs, by adding social workers at the elementary schools, and by continuing to forge valuable partnerships with the Family Resource Center, Tahoe Youth and Family Services, Tahoe Turning Point, Live Violence Free, Mental Health, Barton Health, and our local law enforcement agencies."

"With education, preventive intervention, treatment, and enforcement, Lake Tahoe Unified School District is doing all that it can to ensure the safety and well-being of its students and staff. Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of the Superintendent with any concerns for your child or the safety of your campus," added Dr. Tarwater.