Sheriff ’s deputies won’t be on campuses
AVUHSD will hold classes using at-home learning model
LANCASTER — Antelope Valley Union High School District will begin the 2020-21 academic year today with an at-home learning model because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
But with school campuses closed, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies who serve as school resource officers will not be on campuses.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors authorized the extension of the School Resource Deputy program through June 30.
AV Union High School District does not have a current contract with the sheriff’s department. However, the District has had a longstanding partnership with the department. The most current contract was about $1.7 million for nine school resource officers.
The District’s Board of Education discussed the School Resource Deputy program at its July 23 meeting, held virtually via the Board’s
YouTube channel.
“Our school resource officers are really part of our school communities,” Brett Neal, assistant superintendent of Personnel Services said during a presentation at the meeting.
The program is based at the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station, even though it serves schools in Lancaster and Palmdale.
Board member Victoria Ruffin asked whether the District could have two separate contracts, one for each city.
“I don’t understand why we only do business with the
City of Lancaster sheriff’s department for RSO support,” Ruffin said.
Ruffin also talked about teams of people from the community who could plan safety support.
Last year, the former Board
majority hired consultant Bruce Frank, a former coworker of former Board member Robert “Bob” Davis, to conduct a “gap analysis” of the District’s security measures. Frank presented the results to the board in closed session.
“He shared some phenomenal information,” Ruffin said.
Ruffin asked where the report is, alleging Superintendent David Vierra has a copy.
“Mr. Davis has that report,” Board Clerk Jill McGrady said.
McGrady added Vierra does not have a copy.
Ruffin disagreed. She said that she would submit a public records request for the report “and share it with the entire world.”
Frank, in a 2019 interview with the Antelope Valley Press, said he would discuss his findings with the Board only in closed session.
“I’m exposing their vulnerabilities,” Frank said at the time. “I can’t just put that in the public.”
Neal noted the sheriff’s department reduced the cost of the district’s contract at the end of the last school year after campuses closed in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money used for school resource officers is allocated for school safety in the Local Control and Accountability Plan.
The discussion followed calls from alumni and others about two months ago for the District to end its partnership with the sheriff’s department after worldwide demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against police brutality following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd in police custody on May 25.
Deputies who serve as school resource deputies work on school campuses by choice. They complete an additional 40 hours of specialized training specific to campus safety and law enforcement in school setting.
Rachel Orosco, executive assistant to Superintendent David Vierra, read letters from people in favor of school resources deputies, and those who are opposed to their presence on campus.
“Deputies take part in investigations and actions to keep our campuses safe all the time,” letter writer Terrell Owen wrote. “School shooting is just one area where deputies help to protect our students. But there are so many more, from other adults trying to come on campus, to drugs on campus, to assaults and so much more. Why would we ever want to remove any layer of protection from our kids?”
Letter writer Natalie Howard cited a picture of bullets and weapons posted on social media by a Knight High School student who threatened to shoot up the school the next day. The student was later arrested.
“Please do not put our children in harm’s way because some would bully the district to believe that the mere presence of a deputy on campus does more harm than the harm that would be done to our kids if they were not there,” Howard wrote.
A district alumnus wrote to request the district end its partnership with sheriff’s department.
“The one-and-a-half million dollars that are spent on law enforcement on campuses does a great job at criminalizing students and preventing them from obtaining an education,” the letter writer said. “But it does a poor job of actually making the space safe for students and teachers. Reinvest the money in other services that can support the students’ mental health and their education in programs that can give them constructive spaces for social well-being.”
Letter writer Kevin Brown said police officers should not be on school campuses because they make a school a more intimidating and less welcome environment.
The District does have social-emotional staff to support students, including 64 school counselors. The other support staff include 22 school psychologists, two interim school psychologists four educational social workers, five mental health therapists and 36 support staff.
Trustee John Rush thanked people for their input.
“There’s a lot of support for both sides,” Rush said. “We’re going to have to figure out how to get around it.”