Safety and Security
When parents send their children off to school in the morning, they entrust us with their most precious loved ones. So student safety is our highest priority.
Carlsbad Unified—in partnership with Carlsbad Police Department, Carlsbad Fire Department, and Carlsbad Department of Emergency Preparedness—is always working to make sure our campuses are as safe as can be. Here are some areas where we are accomplishing that.
School Resource Officers: In collaboration with the City of Carlsbad, schools in our city now have five dedicated school resource officers (SROs). Also, we have retained a part-time district safety coordinator, Malcolm Warfield, who also works for the Carlsbad Police Department. I could not be more thankful for the leadership shown by our local law enforcement and public safety agencies.
Measure HH Improvements: When Carlsbad voters passed Measure HH last year, they enabled us to make new investments in campus safety. The improvements include:
- Visitor check-in system: a new visitor management system is helping us to regulate and keep track of visitors to our campuses when students are present. The system has been installed in the front office of each school. As our staff becomes trained, the system will be operational at all schools by the end of December.
- Fencing: Over the course of this year we will install improved eight-foot fencing and gates at Calavera Hills, Hope, Pacific Rim, and Poinsettia Elementary Schools; at Calavera Hills and Valley Middle Schools; and at Carlsbad High School.
- Security cameras: Security cameras will soon be installed at every school. Elementary schools will have cameras on the school perimeters. And, in the same way our high school already are equipped, middle schools will have both perimeter and line-of-sight camera coverage, including at the entryways of high traffic buildings and bathrooms.
- Knox Boxes: Outdoor boxes containing emergency materials at the ready for first responders—Knox Boxes—were installed on our campuses over the summer.
Mental health needs: We maintain strong partnerships with various local agencies to provide intensive mental health supports for students in need We continue to develop systems and programs in our schools to better meet the needs of all kids.
Vaping: As you are aware, new information is demonstrating the danger that vaping presents to our students. We are the recipients of a new Prop. 56 grant which has made it possible for our district to collaborate with Carlsbad Police to add an additional School Resource Officer to educate students, staff, and parents about the serious health consequences of tobacco and vaping.
Finally, with so many problems in the world, I think it’s important to remember the kindness and compassion displayed in Carlsbad by our very own Kids for Peace and their annual Great Kindness Challenge. What started with just three schools—Jefferson, Hope, and Kelly Elementary—has now become a worldwide phenomenon with over 13 million students in 50 states and 115 countries!
A kinder world is a safer world. Thank you for all you do to support us in our efforts to keep our students and staff safe.
