OC Grand Jury Recommends School Safety Enhancements

BY COLLIN BREAUX

A recently released investigative report by the Orange County Grand Jury found Orange County schools are “doing a good job” in maintaining safe campuses for students in case of a school shooting, though it had numerous recommendations for improvement.

The report, released on June 14, outlines key findings by jury members based on interviews with law enforcement agencies and questionnaire responses from public schools, among other sources.

Recommendations to enhance safety include assessing the need for additional school resource officers, reaching out to appropriate community partners to facilitate funding for more officers by July 1, 2024, and improving building and equipment infrastructure.

“While it is indisputable that much has been achieved during the past five years to make Orange County public schools safer, there is still much to be done,” the report said. “While it is true that no school will ever be totally safe from intruders, it is the responsibility of school boards, school administrators, and law enforcement to make them as safe as possible.”

Talking to law enforcement agencies led jury members to believe a school shooting in Orange County is inevitable.

“While it is truly fortunate that Orange County schools have not experienced this type of violence, numerous law enforcement and school officials say it is not a matter of ‘if but when,’ ” the report said.

Regarding the need for more school resource officers (SROs), the jury’s investigation found funding “remains a huge

Excluding the Pico Drain, which earned an A+ for the Wet Weather category, none of San Clemente’s beaches were given Winter Dry and Wet Weather grades.

Beaches in Dana Point including Salt Creek, Doheny State, Capistrano and Baby all received A ratings during the Summer Dry season. Areas around the Dana Point Harbor received A and A+ Summer Dry ratings, while wet-weather grades ranged from A+ to D depending on where samples were taken.

Poche Beach, Poche Creek outlet, San Juan Creek and Doheny State Beach received F’s for their wet-weather grades. Poche Beach, located on the border of Capistrano Beach and San Clemente, was the only Orange County beach to be listed on the Beach Bummer list this year—the fourth time in 10 years.

“Poche Beach receives polluted runoff from a storm drain that flows directly onto the beach,” the report stated. “Equipment designed to clean runoff from the storm drain was running at partial capacity in summer 2022, which was likely the cause.”

The report continued that the county may need to “reassess its water quality improvement strategy for this beach, since it is no stranger to the Beach Bummer list.”

In response to the Beach Report, OC Parks Interim Public Information Officer Danielle Kennedy stated that “OC Parks continues to operate clean, safe beaches for the public to enjoy.”

“Heal the Bay’s latest report provides an overall positive rating for County-operated beaches including Salt Creek Beach, Dana Strands Beach and Capistrano Beach Park,” Kennedy said. “OC Parks continues to support partner agencies in ongoing efforts to address water quality-related challenges impacting Poche Beach.” obstacle for cities, school districts, and law enforcement agencies.”

City of San Clemente management had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

“While the men and women who serve as SROs are highly dedicated, many current SROs in the county are assigned far too many schools to effectively fulfill their responsibilities,” according to the report. “Most SROs in the county are assigned to high school campuses and must also cover a number of middle/elementary schools that feed into the high school.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is the agency with the most school resource officers, with 17 serving more than 125 schools—primarily in South Orange County.

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A prominent factor impacting the number of officers, besides funding, is “the reality that most law-enforcement agencies are short-staffed and have increasing difficulty hiring qualified individuals, which results in many officers being assigned to patrol duties to cover a city’s needs,” according to the report.

As for enhancing infrastructure, the jury report recommended campuses have protective covering and tinted windows.

“One of the problems with the open design of many school campuses throughout Orange County is that there is too much visibility into classrooms from outside areas open to the public,” the report said. “Many classrooms lack curtains, mini-blinds, or other basic window coverings to obscure an intruder’s view. Securing classroom windows will help create a safer learning environment for students.”

School windows should be covered with shatter-resistant and/or tinted film covering to provide an additional layer, the report recommended.

“In an active shooter scenario, shatter-resistant film can slow down an intruder and reduce the impact of ammunition fired into classrooms, giving teachers and students more time to escape or hide,” the report said. “It can also assist law enforcement in recovering spent ammunition.”