Amezcua and Phillips: School Safety is Everyone’s Business

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
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As we mourn the innocent victims who lost their lives in the senseless tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and ask ourselves why and how has this happened again in our schools, we search for answers that we hope will guide us and give direction on how we can prevent such a horrendous act of violence from ever happening again. Although we may not have all the answers, what we do have – as elected leaders and educators – is a responsibility to ensure that we institute safety and security protocols to ensure our students and staff are safe when they are in our care at school. Schools must remain a safe place where all students can learn, grow and become productive members of society. In the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), the largest school district in Orange County serving 50,000 students, the Board of Education has a long-standing commitment to the safety of students and staff by investing in a strong, well-trained school police department that is specifically designed to support the school community. Operating 24 hours a day, each day of the week, the Santa Ana School Police Department monitors and oversees 57 schools while maintaining a strong partnership with the Santa Ana Police Department and many other neighboring law enforcement agencies in Orange County.

Grassroots Prisoner Reentry Programs Show Progress

Countywide
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Several programs created throughout Southern California in the wake of Proposition 47 in 2014, which called for releasing certain non-violent and drug offenders from state prisons, are beginning to bear fruit.