On Jan. 12, the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) held a regular Board of Education meeting during which administrators discussed the COVID-19 vaccine and a new, robust security plan. The Board voted to adopt Resolution No. 2020-2021-020, a comprehensive document that outlines the District’s security policies and procedures.
“I’m very excited,” Board Vice President, Tristen Walker-Shuman, said. “This is the culmination of two years’ worth of planning and discussion and effort. Leading off from Parkland, and we jumped into our agreement with NASTEC and our armed security. So, this is really just a massive yeoman’s effort to pull together the infrastructure of what our really holistic, 360-degree security plan is going to kind of be built off of. So, I’m thrilled to vote for this.”
The 86-page manual outlines protocols for how to handle fights at school, escorting unauthorized persons from campus, reasonable suspicion, unauthorized firearms and more.
“I just would like to say that this is a starting point for the manual,” Board Member Mary Wells said. “Including the revisions that were made today, it will be revised as we continue to develop the security program with consideration for the students, families, teachers and the union.”
Campus safety will be ensured through a Security Force, comprised of both contracted armed and unarmed security personnel, who will be stationed at all schools throughout BHUSD. The objectives of the Security Force are as follows: “To promote a secure environment for the district’s students, employees and visitors; To provide for the protection of District property against theft and vandalism; To encourage student, staff and public awareness of crime prevention programs.”
In the event of an emergency, Security Force personnel may be deployed to any school that requires assistance. Personnel will maintain stations and patrol their assigned school campus areas and facilities to ensure only authorized personnel and students enter the campus. Security Force Officers will conduct continuous surveillance of the District, with the primary objectives being the protection of students and staff. The Security Force Officer’s secondary function is to protect District property, including buildings, grounds, equipment and other assets.
The Board meeting was held the day after Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced that all students must receive the COVID-19 vaccine before they can return to campus.
“Our policy for vaccinating children is going to be coming up on our radar very soon,” BHUSD Superintendent Dr. Bregy said. “As you know right now, for the Pfizer vaccine, you can be 16 or older. I believe the Moderna vaccine is 17 or 18. And so we are going to be very anxious watching the information to see if there’s going to be any student vaccines. We’re not aware of any testing that’s being done for students, so I think it’s a bit premature to make that decision right now.”
“I think that most educators are really looking for a solution here, and I think that vaccines are going to be one way that we can get students back into classrooms as soon as possible,” Bregy added. “I know that we’re going to be moving as quickly as we can to see that vaccines are provided and to who wants them.”
During a Jan. 11 briefing, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said teachers and other essential worker are slated to be part of the next phase of the immunization process.
“We’ve extended invitations to people in the state to provide those vaccinations for our staff and perhaps our community,” Bregy said. “When it’s time, we want to be part of the solution here, and we want to be able to provide vaccines for our staff as soon as we can. And we certainly have the facilities and space to do that.”
Provided there are enough doses, those shots could begin as soon as the first week of February.
