Safety tops priority list for district

Greg Risling

NEWPORT-MESA -- The safety of thousands of elementary and high

school students returning to class next week remains a top priority for

school district officials as they enter the new year.

A task force charged with addressing safety concerns will likely

present a plan to the School Board in October. Members of the task force

have met several times during the summer to discuss security options for

the future.

The meetings appear to have been fruitful, as discussions have touched

on topics ranging from better communication among schools to controlling

the amount of visitors on campuses. Connie Dudderidge, district risk

manager, said the meetings have been more focused on helping at-risk

students rather than fortifying schools.

“I think we want to help kids and identify at-risk behavior,”

Dudderidge said. “We want to give our counselors more time to speak with

kids. We’d like to take preventative actions rather than make our schools

look like a prison.”

While many administrators agree that Newport-Mesa campuses are

relatively safe, they only need to point to the Columbine shooting in

April, where a teacher and a dozen students were killed at a suburban

high school, as evidence that more may need to be done.

“We should always be looking at ways to make our schools more safe,”

said Corona del Mar High School Principal Don Martin. “If someone walks

in here with a gun, adding 10 security guards and 10 administrators

probably wouldn’t do the job. But we must always work to protect our

students.”

In preparation for the upcoming school year, Martin said his staff is

updating a crisis intervention plan. He plans to sit down with teachers

and review procedures during the next week.

“It’s not a new thing, but after last year’s events, it’s a good time

to update,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of turnover on our staff and some

new teachers are barely aware there is a plan at all.”

The spate of random school violence over the last year at Columbine

and elsewhere has struck a nervous chord with some in the education

community. One of 23 campus guards assigned to TeWinkle Middle School has

asked the School Board to purchase a bulletproof vest.

The recent approval by the Newport Beach City Council to send a police

officer into schools may cause further discussion about bringing law

enforcement into the fold of school safety. The proposal is an extension

of the district’s Drug Awareness Resistance Program.

“The officers won’t be there to police but to educate,” Dudderidge

said. “We’re not interested in creating a police state. We don’t want to

see an adversarial relationship between police and students.”