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LGUSD approves position for increased school safety
By Jason Baker
Los Gatos Union School District trustees on Aug. 10 took another step toward solidifying student safety at Fisher Middle School.
Trustees approved the hiring of a middle-school campus supervisor to act as a supervisor and liaison for students. Officials said the position would allow supervision of students before and after school, during lunch, between classes and at break times. The intention is to hire a person who would work with students and staff to anticipate areas of concern and suggest intervention to ensure a safe campus.
Superintendent Mary Ann Park said officials also are hoping the supervisor can develop a relationship of trust with students and provide a contact for at-risk youngsters.
Recently passed state legislation provided the district $13,230 for school safety. That money, combined with funds previously allocated for yard-duty supervision, will be used to fund the newly created campus supervisor position. The district now pays teachers an hourly stipend to supervise the campus during the lunch period.
Long before the rash of high-profile violent incidents throughout the county, LGUSD administrators began working to create a positive and friendly school environment, as well as a safe environment.
"We don't see this person in a cop role," said Fisher Principal Cullen Hewitt. "We see this as someone who interacts with kids and someone kids trust, but also someone who is flexible enough to know when to intervene in a situation."
Hewitt said administrators would develop the supervisor's role as the year progresses. Officials hope to begin advertising the position soon and have someone in place sometime this semester.
Administrators said an incident in May involving a Fisher student found in possession of a "hit list" further emphasized the importance of communication between students and school staff.
On May 24, an unidentified Fisher teacher observed several sixth-grade students gathering in the back of a classroom, discussing an object apparently in possession of a 12-year-old student. Officials questioned the boy and discovered in his possession a list containing the names of 10 students "to kill." The students on the list reportedly had teased the boy and he had created the list to scare them, officials said. Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police investigated the incident and notified the parents of the students on the list.
School officials suspended the boy for the remainder of the school year and began working closely with his parents, including providing one-on-one counseling. Officials did not release the names of the boy or the students named on the list.
Hewitt said that although the boy is still listed in the district's computer system, it is not certain if he will return to Fisher. The possibility remains that the child's parents will transfer him to another district.
As always, Hewitt said, communication remains the most important avenue for preventing dangerous situations on campus. Administrators constantly work to be more accessible to students and allow time for them to communicate their feelings and create awareness of problems or uncomfortable situations.
"As we've gotten bigger, we felt the need to have more people on campus," he said. For the first time, Fisher students will have two lunch periods, an implementation which Hewitt said was designed to address the larger student body. To help provide support, parent volunteers will be present during lunch periods, not as supervisors but more as an additional adult presence on campus, Hewitt said.
Hewitt also said the district should anticipate training for police emergencies on campus. "I don't say that to heighten anxiety, but just to say this may be what we're looking towards," he said. "I'm sure that decision will be made on a district level."
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
