With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
San Bernardino school district looks forward to improve emergency response
This list of issues came from a debrief session with school principals. It helped start off conversations at the community forum.
(
Priska Neely
)
Listen
0:50
San Bernardino school district looks forward to improve emergency response
More than 100 people -- teachers, parents, police officers, even IT workers -- attended a meeting convened by the San Bernadino Unified School District to debrief on its response to the Dec. 2 shooting.
Superintendent Dale Marsden said the goal of the "after-action review" was to give the community a chance present issues without judgment and determine what could be better.
"It's these kind of activities that help us to become better," said Marsden. "Our goal in the district is to be the best at becoming better."
During the meeting, attendees sat at tables sharing stories from the day of the shooting.
Sponsored message
Alba Lizbeth Barraza, the secretary at Dominguez Elementary School, shared her experience. The school is less than two miles from the site of the shooting at the Inland Regional Center. The shootout with the gunmen happened right behind the school.
The small groups were tasked with coming up with streamlined recommendations to present to the group. Barraza shared on behalf of her table.
"Our children and staff heard and saw every police car that went by there," she said, holding back tears.
Despite the proximity to the scene, Barraza said the school was told by the district not to go on lockdown at first. But with all of the commotion, the school administration made the decision to do so anyway. Barraza urged the district to be more responsive when a school is so close to a dangerous scene.
The district is taking note of each issue to improve systems going forward and to ensure the highest level of safety during emergencies.
"We’re hoping that we never have to use this again," said SBUSD deputy superintendent Harold Vollkommer, "but if we should be faced with that again we want to be better at it."
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
