Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III will host a town hall meeting on school safety on Saturday, March 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Los Angeles Southwest College in the Little Theater of the Cox Building. The “Schools as Safe Zones” town hall meeting will address school, classroom, transportation, neighborhood and online safety as well as emergency preparedness. The event is in direct response to the recent shooting involving a 12-year-old girl who accidentally discharged a gun at Sal Castro Middle School that left four students injured and one of the deadliest school shootings in America’s history at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead and dozens injured and follows calls from activists to to end random searches of students.
“Schools should be the safest places in our community because we serve the most precious and vulnerable citizens in our society, our children,” commented Board Member McKenna. “Now is not the time to contemplate or even suggest the removal of all school police officers from schools or create a ‘pilot program’ at some LAUSD schools that discontinue wanding for a period of time.”
McKenna continued, “These are reactionary responses that understandably seek a less “restrictive” environment for children, but the reality is that our officers are necessary to protect us from internal and external intrusions of acts of violence. Since we are screened when entering airports and government buildings, shouldn’t our schools be kept equally safe? The most important consideration for any school is the safety of students, and parents have consistently identified this as their top priority in school selection. Having officers on campus adds to the safety of students and employees.”
For more information on the town hall meeting, please call (213) 259-9763.
