In August, we published a story about an active-shooter drill that took place at Harriet Tubman Village Charter School in early 2023. During the drill, an administrator played the sounds of screaming and gunfire over teacher’s walkie-talkies, terrifying both staff and students, who assumed an actual active-shooter situation was unfolding at the K-8 school.
While research shows those strategies do much more harm than good, California had no guardrails surrounding how schools do active-shooter drills that would forbid such a drill. That’s no longer the case.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed a bill into law authored by San Diego Assemblymember Chris Ward that reigns in how California schools are allowed to conduct active-shooter drills. The bill, AB 1858, which we also wrote about in August, prohibits the use of simulated gunfire during drills, mandates they be age appropriate and that parents are notified before they take place, and requires schools to connect students with resources after drills should they need them.
The law will provide educators “clear guidance on how to implement these drills in a responsible and professional way so we’re not creating more anxiety and traumatizing our students,” Ward wrote in a press release.
Rancho Santa Fe Censured Board Member Accused of Violence
In June, Rancho Santa Fe school board member Paul Seitz allegedly attacked the husband of fellow school board member Annette Ross. According to a sheriff’s report, a deputy concluded that Seitz “was the dominant aggressor in this incident and met and completed the crime elements of [simple battery].”
It also wasn’t the first time he had made employees of the district feel threatened, as we reported last month. In an interview, Seitz downplayed the incidents.
But two days after our story published, Rancho Santa Fe’s school board voted to censure Seitz. Though the move didn’t remove Seitz from the board, Ross and fellow board member Jee Manghani said it was important to address the incident publicly. That’s especially true, Ross said, because community members had requested the board speak out about what happened.
Ross also hinted at why it may have taken so long for the board to acknowledge the incidents, at one point telling Seitz “I don’t think you realize when you say something to me like, ‘You’re gonna regret this,’ how I might take that,” NBC San Diego reported. Ross, it seems, understood Seitz’s statement to be a threat.
Like in his interview with Voice of San Diego, Seitz downplayed the incident and denied he’d started the fight, saying “The truth is we had an argument that started to escalate … [Annette Ross’ husband] Bill got in my face and threatened me, so we shook each other around in the elevator.”
In any case, Seitz said he believes his actions were wrong and doesn’t condone violence, NBC San Diego reported.
Parent’s Guide Workshops and San Diego Unified’s School Choice Window
San Diego Unified’s choice enrollment window is now open. Parents have until Nov. 4 to submit an application should they want their child to attend a school that’s not their neighborhood school. As part of our yearly Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools, we provide a handy overview of how to choose a school for your child.
Speaking of our Parent’s Guide: We have a handful of Parent’s Guide workshops coming up this month! At each workshop, we walk parents through what our guide has to offer, from data about school performance to FAQ’s about pressing topics like after-school care, and answer all your questions about local education issues.
In addition to in-person workshops across San Diego, we’ve also set up an evening virtual one. Head over to our events page to RSVP. Hope to see you there!
Content Bouncing Around My Mind Palace
For months, momentum has been building to do something about cell phones on school campuses. In June, Los Angeles Unified trustees passed a policy to ban cell phones from its campuses. Shortly afterward, San Diego Unified board members signaled the district may also move in that direction. Now, the state has taken the decision out of the hands of individual districts. State legislators on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill that will require districts to develop plans to ban or limit cell phone use by students on campuses by 2026.
Two San Dieguito Union High School students compiled an ambitious report on a nonprofit foundation at their school, alleging it had engaged in shady financial dealings. The district has since announced it will commission an audit of all nonprofit foundations.
What We’re Writing
The past couple of months have been a whirlwind for San Diego Unified. After an investigation substantiated allegations Superintendent Lamont Jackson sexually harassed multiple female district employees, board members voted unanimously to fire him. The board then promoted Deputy Superintendent Fabiola Bagula to interim superintendent. But in an address to district staff, a recording of which Voice of San Diego obtained, Bagula conspicuously avoided mentioning Jackson’s accusers. Then, new documents revealed not only that Bagula had been accused of harassment but that district staff had made allegations about Jackson more than a year before his eventual firing.
Taxpayers have voted to give San Diego Unified School District $11.5 billion over the last 16 years with the express purpose of bringing working air conditioning to every classroom in the district. But nearly two decades in, and hundreds of millions of dollars later, some students are still dealing with dangerous heat.