Eight-foot wrought iron fences, shatter-proof glass windows and modernized security cameras.
Decades ago, these safety features were best suited for jailhouse security as a way to keep bad guys in.
These days, Tucson Unified School District is planning to use these same measures to keep bad guys out.
Sprawling campuses, once built as soft, open spaces and neighborhood gathering places, have changed drastically since the days of the 1999 Columbine High School mass shooting, TUSD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo said. “Now we’re in a place where we have to harden those targets.”
Last November, voters passed Proposition 496, which allowed TUSD to issue and sell $480 million in General Obligation Bonds for school improvements. Because of this, TUSD is on its way to making these security changes a reality, school officials said in a town hall meeting last week addressing recent unfounded threats targeting schools across the Tucson area.
“This (money) is going to do wonderful things for our district,” Trujillo said, pointing out that TUSD already has the state’s only armed school safety force.
The other measures will be coming down the pipeline, and district officials said they hope these might ease the minds of parents and students.
This month, in a week’s time, the Tucson Police Department investigated more than 100 9-1-1 calls regarding alleged threats, questioned numerous students, and arrested seven teenagers under the age of 15. Since the school year began, there have been no credible threats to any Tucson-area schools, police said.
Whether a threat is found to be valid or not, TUSD parents should rest assured that officers are working to figure out just that, police said.
Instead of reporting a potential threat to community groups, social media sites, and friends, Tucson Police Department officers pleaded with parents and students to call authorities and not repost the message.
Parents who are concerned about their children’s safety will “never be judged by keeping their child home from school,” Trujillo said.
“It’s called parental authority, and we don’t challenge that,” he noted, adding that if a child misses 10 days, the student could be dropped from the district. Parents can meet with the district to discuss alternative options, such as attending a virtual school or being placed in a smaller educational setting.
As far as communication goes as it relates to school safety, TUSD Safety Director Joe Hallums said the district can and will do better. The district’s goal is to make sure every parent is signed up for text and email alerts. But, parents and guardians must also be patient while police and school officials do their jobs and investigate potential threats, TUSD officials said.
Trujillo said a threat posted online at 5 p.m. on a Sunday might go viral, and 20 minutes later, parents will expect a response from the school district. This is not always a feasible request, he said.
“We’re not sitting on info,” Trujillo said. “We’re giving law enforcement time to do their jobs. Once we hear from them, then we communicate it with all of you.”
But what if there is no social media warning, no heads up or threat to confront outside? What if the threat is inside the school already? How do fences and shatter-proof windows help then?
“For protections from threats that may already be inside the school, we are implementing the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG),” said Karla Escamilla, TUSD director of communication and media relations. “This evidence-based approach allows us to proactively identify and intervene with students who may pose a risk to themselves or others before an incident occurs.”
CSTAG focuses on early identification, assessment, and management of potential threats through a multi-disciplinary team approach by emphasizing early attention to problems such as bullying, teasing, and other forms of student conflict before they escalate into violent behavior, Escamilla said. Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about the consequences of posting false threats and rapidly sharing them.
“Whether you’re a parent, guardian, student, administrator, friend, or neighbor — we all share the same goal: keeping kids and staff safe in our schools,” TPD wrote in a social media post addressing parental concern. “Have those courageous conversations to help kids understand the dangers and consequences of creating, posting, or sharing any threat of violence.
“What may seem like a prank, a joke, or even sharing someone else’s threat can lead to criminal charges and expulsion from school. Report it, don’t repost it!”
Tucson Unified School District’s headquarters at 1010 E. 10th St.
