February 10, 2023 - Eureka, CA – Schools should be an environment where students and staff feel cared for, safe, and secure. In a recent update to the Governing Board, Gary Storts, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, provided an update on school safety and security efforts within Eureka City Schools (ECS). Below is a recap of recent safety efforts, including current and future goals.
Threat Assessment Training - In June, ECS sent 24 staff members to an FBI-led Behavioral Threat Assessment training. This 16-hour in-person training provided fundamental information on targeted violence and prevention strategies. The training benefits students and staff at ECS by helping staff recognize behaviors and indicators of individuals on the path to violence. Attendees also learned how to apply key concepts in threat assessment, learn how to develop individualized threat management plans, and how to build and implement multi-disciplinary threat assessment and threat management teams.
Safety and Security Coordinator Hired - This year, ECS hired a District Safety and Security Coordinator, Scott Mauroff, to review current processes and reinforce practices. Mauroff previously served as the Gang Risk Intervention Program (GRIP) Coordinator at Eureka High School and as the Attendance Outreach Program Coordinator District-wide, for a total of 13 years of experience working within ECS. In discussing school safety, Mauroff notes, “School safety is a priority at Eureka City Schools. Creating a safe atmosphere for students and staff is an important and foundational component for educational success.”
Fire, Earthquake, and Lockdown Drills Completed - Since the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, staff have conducted 29 fire drills, 11 earthquake drills, and 7 lockdown drills. During these drills, proper practices are reinforced, and concerns are addressed and fixed. The District is planning two additional active assailant pieces of training, which will take place later this year.
Safety and Security Site Assessments - In October, during a non-school day, Eureka City Schools conducted campus safety and security walkthroughs on each school campus. Agencies involved in this all-day event include Eureka Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Keenan Insurance, and Humboldt Bay Fire. “This is the first time a district in this area has had this extend of collaboration with emergency services,” noted Taylin Titus, Executive Director of Insurance Services, through the Humboldt County Office of Education.
Emergency Supplies in Every Classroom - District staff has worked diligently to purchase and assemble supplies for emergency buckets and grab-and-go bags, which will be placed in each classroom at all nine-school sites and several locations within the District Office. The emergency buckets contain drinking water, a tarp, a radio/charger, a phone charger, glow sticks, trash bags, gloves, duct tape, batteries, toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, etc. The grab-and-go bags contain a first aid kit, safety apparel, a whistle, a copy of the emergency procedures, and class-specific items. In December, students from the Associated Student Body (ASB) Club at Eureka High School helped assemble the emergency buckets before distribution at the sites. Completed buckets were delivered to ECS sites in early-February 2023.
School Resource Officers - ECS currently has two School Resource Officers (SRO) who provide support to nine school sites. “Our objective is to bridge the gap between community members and police and to show a more caring, positive, and sincere side of law enforcement. We are looking forward to collaborating with the ECS community and supporting our students,” notes Officer Marsolan. Officer Marsolan has served as an SRO for seven years and this is Officer Arminio’s first year as an SRO. Eureka Police Department Officer Tim Marsolan and Officer Don Arminio bring a combined 33 years of law enforcement experience to ECS campuses.
Future Plans - In terms of plans, ECS will soon introduce the Say Something Program from the Sandy Hook Promise, which teaches middle and high school students about different types of warning signs/threats and how to spot them (especially on social media) while also providing an anonymous reporting platform. In addition, ECS staff now have identification badges, including a photo. Campus visitors will also notice new campus signage and visitor check-in procedures, as a continued effort to keep students and staff safe. All sites have updated their Comprehensive Site Safety Plans (CSSP) and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP), all of which go through a thorough review process by District staff and outside agencies.
Press Contact:
Micalyn Harris, Executive Assistant
[email protected] Tel: 707-441-2414