Between facility improvements, teacher training and updated bullying prevention, California schools are secure, officials said.
"I absolutely feel our students are safe with the processes we have in place," Superintendent Dwight Sanders said.
The California Board of Education discussed the schools' safety at its regular meeting Feb. 21, with the recent Florida school shooting on their minds.
Sanders gave board members a review of what measures already were in place.
As a response to the recent tragedy, Sanders has reached out to local law enforcement, inviting them to visit the school more frequently as a positive presence but also as a greater deterrent. He encouraged the staff members responsible for buzzing in visitors during the day to be diligent.
"We feel blessed in any given situation, we could make a 911 call and have response in a minute or two," Sanders said.
For nearly a decade, school faculty and staff have had annual training for active shooters and other emergencies. For the third time, Strategos International, a business devoted to providing training and security services to schools, churches and businesses, will provide training March 29.
This time, 15 community members will be invited to participate in the training to provide a closer look at what is being done to provide student safety, he said.
Each time an active shooter tragedy occurs elsewhere, Sanders said, Strategos provides the school with improved strategies.
"It's good to have experts in the field," he said.
Students practice active-shooter drills, as they do for tornadoes and fire.
Already in place, new front doors for each building were installed earlier this school year. Hardware was added last school year to each classroom to better secure individual rooms.
Also this year, the school adopted a greater attention to bullying prevention. The primary objective is to create a welcoming school atmosphere, where students feel safe and belong, Sanders said.
"We do so many things to make students feel involved and engaged," he said.
The bullying prevention focus also includes a greater reactionary component, including an anonymous message box for reporting at the middle school.
On the school website is a place for victims, bystanders or parents to communicate with the school. The website also details the school's bullying prevention plan.
Also new this year, an additional filtering system is in place to screen student emails for mentions of self-harm or harm to others, Sanders said.
Sanders noted children can be hurtful at times, but bullying emerges in an ongoing situation or when there is an imbalance of power. Few of those instances occur in the California schools, he said.
"We've done the things we can to make as safe an environment as we can make it," Sanders said.