Teachers from Toro Canyon Middle School in Thermal voiced safety and security concerns at Thursday's Coachella Valley Unified School District board meeting, following a BB gun incident the previous day.
While they intended to speak during the public comment portion scheduled before closed session to address an item regarding the appointment of principals, the teachers' public comment requests were delayed until after closed session, more than an hour later, as the topic had been filed under safety. (One of their inquiries was for the district to consider hiring a second assistant principal.)
When the board reconvened for open session at about 7:15 p.m., Shaunessy Johnson, a fourth-year teacher at Toro Canyon Middle and a former CVUSD student, spoke during public comment, accompanied by six of her colleagues. By her second year, following an on-campus evacuation, she said no longer felt safe at the school.
"I kept telling myself that I was safe because I am a life skills teacher and I teach students with intellectual disabilities, so none of my students are bringing to school, right?" Johnson said. "But then a few months later, one of my students did bring part of a gun to school. I don't think that student meant harm, I think he was taken advantage of on the bus and wanted to look cool, but still, I kept telling myself, 'I'm a life skills teacher, I am safe.'"
Everything seemed to change, she said, when security searched her students' backpacks during the lockdown, leaving them in tears and in fear that they would be arrested, even though they had done nothing wrong.
"You here have power to take action yourself and your actions could save our lives," Johnson said, "so please take action to keep us safe."
Carissa Carrera, president of the teachers' union, then read a statement on behalf of Socorro Ceja, a middle school teacher who left during the closed session. The statement detailed an incident from Wednesday when a student brought a BB gun to school, instilling fear among her students.
"Although the gun did not have bullets, it looked like a real gun to them," Ceja's statement said. "(My students) shared that the student who brought the BB gun was showing it around while riding the bus and during several of his classes. They asked why a student was able to bring a metal gun to school and not be detected."
Ceja said that although the school does not have enough staff to oversee every area, the administrative team prioritizes visibility and support while enforcing safety measures on campus.
"We still feel the strain due to our already large and increased enrollment of 991 (students) and counting," her statement said. "Last year, we actually had two assistant principals, but it seems like this year, we are back to one. There is no talk of filling the position that was vacated at the end of last year."
A few trustees later commented on the teachers' statements.
"It feels like every week, we're having something happen," Trustee Valeria Garcia said, adding that clear backpacks should be considered as a safety measure. Although she opposes the idea of metal detectors in schools, she said she is open to discussing the option if it could help prevent or deter some of these issues.
Superintendent Frances Esparza announced in her report that on Wednesday, Oct. 2 — a non-school day for students — staff will be trained on safety and security during their professional development day. If parents are interested in attending the trainings at their children's school sites, she said, they are encouraged to contact their students' principal for more information.
Esparza, who said she experienced an active shooter event during her time at Boston Public Schools, hopes to partner with the district's directors of security and emergency operations and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to develop a program focused on safety, security and prevention.
Regarding concerns raised by the middle school teachers, Esparza told The Desert Sun that principals are working towards becoming more effective instructional leaders, "they didn't sign up to be a security officer or to be patting anyone down."
While safety and security issues are not unique to CVUSD, Esparza said she's committed to "providing (administrators) with the best tools and the ability to be able to have somebody who can support them." She hopes the upcoming safety training sessions will serve as a preventative measure, "instead of it being an intervention at the end."
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Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'Please take action to keep us safe': Toro Canyon Middle School teachers in Thermal voice safety concerns
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