Fences spark discussion on school safety

SAN DIEGO Schools throughout San Diego have taken on a new look in recent months since tall chain-link fencing has been installed to secure campus perimeters in the name of safety.

Residents in some areas have complained to the San Diego Unified School District that the metal fencing is over the top, making schools look more like prisons that centers of education. Others say they feel safer knowing that students and teachers might be less vulnerable to potentially dangerous intruders.

The San Diego Unified School District has budgeted fencing projects along with other campus improvements to be paid for with the proceeds of recent general obligation bond measures and other funds. School security upgrades, however, were stepped up at the request of the school board and employees two years ago after 20 children and six staff members were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

We are looking for that balance. Keeping our children safe during the school day, that is our priority, said Drew Rowlands, the districts top operations officer. But we also want to be a center of the community. How do we keep the school that looks inviting while also keeping it safe? In some cases, the new chain-link replaced modest wooden fences and spaces that offered open views into neighborhood campuses. At other schools, new fences sealed unofficial points of entry.

I mean, I understand that we probably need the fences and gates these days given everything that can and does happen in this world, said Gabby Sanchez-Washington, who noticed the fences at Pershing Middle School in San Carlos while picking up her nephew on Friday. But I hate the way it looks, like a cage or something. When I was a kid, schools were welcoming places that you didnt lock people out of. But again, those were different times.

The district wants every school to funnel visitors through a single point of entry once classes begin. Most require parents and volunteers to check in and show identification before entering classrooms. Franklin Elementary School in Kensington requires visitors to buzz a door bell at the front door, and request entry through a speaker.

A long-awaited districtwide security assessment and safety plan requested by the board in January 2012 in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting will be released and discussed at a board workshop set for Jan. 20.

The district police force worked with administrators on the security initiative, which included an analysis of everything from neighborhood and campus crime data to the architecture of schools. The district also commissioned a formal safety assessment that identifies potential vulnerabilities and recommended improvements for each of its some 200 schools.

The board is expected to discuss how far it wants to go when it comes to securing its schools, which could include installing electronic entries and barriers in front offices, outfitting classrooms and exterior gates with new lock systems, and installing security cameras.

Since Sandy Hook, the district has spent millions of dollars on safety projects, including the fencing. A detailed accounting of the cost of the projects is expected to be released at the workshop later this month, Rowlands said.

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Fences spark discussion on school safety