Malibu Mulls School Safety Options After National Shootings

MALIBU, CA — Many school community members expressed concern about potential security measures in Malibu schools following school shootings across the country.

Malibu City Council members on June 27 voted to start a search for school safety consultants and private security companies for Malibu schools. The decision comes after 21 people were killed at a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas in May, prompting sustained discussion about prevention at schools across the country.

Council members introduced two options on June 27, one to solicit private security and one to solicit school safety consultants.

Mayor Paul Grisanti and Councilmember Karen Farrer proposed the city opt for private security options based on Lost Hills Sheriff's Station Captain Jennifer Seetoo's recommendation. Private security would be cheaper and more available than local deputies and would offer the city more control over security programs like school safety assessments and campus hardening, Seetoo advised.

But meetings with parents, faculty and community leaders proved complicated as many raised concerns about private security and particularly armed security, Farrer said.

Though armed security was not the only option on council members' minds, the conversation on June 27 largely focused on whether armed security is an effective intervention. According to Malibu Middle and High School teacher Maia Zander, the question many teachers have is: will armed security actually make Malibu schools safer, or will it only make people feel safer?

"Feedback [from teachers] was pretty mixed but a very sizable majority was completely against any armed presence and especially private security," Zander said. Zander served on the school safety committee and was present for earlier conversations with the city about security measures.

Multiple studies have found that armed guards do not decrease gun violence in schools and could even introduce new deaths, Poynter reported.

Public speakers noted that multiple shootings have happened on campuses with armed guards, who have even encountered the shooter in cases. These include the 2018 shootings in Parkland, Florida, Santa Fe, Texas and most recently the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Armed security also introduces a number of additional risks like accidental discharge, non-standardized training practices and potential risk for students of color, Zander said. Parent and Malibu Middle School teacher Julie Jones emphasized that Malibu is a tight-knit community, and bringing in private security would jeopardize the safe, village-like atmosphere.

"An armed presence will make many people on our campus feel less safe," Zander said. "There are very serious concerns, especially about our students of color, being made to feel less welcome on campus than they already do. ... Many of us teachers would like to prioritize solutions that don't have guns," Zander said.

Studies have shown that students of color and students with disabilities were more likely to be harshly punished by officers, the New York Times reported. Some districts, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, have removed police officers from school campuses in recent years. Others, like the Beverly Hills Unified School District, still use armed security.

Seetoo said that as a parent herself, she understands community members' concerns about how certain security measures would negatively impact their kids' learning experience. After the city collects proposals they will chose a model that works for the community, she said.

"I think it would be wise for us to at least look at a proposal and see if that makes sense to the community," Seetoo said. "Parents, I understand where you're coming from and I'm right there with you."

The council's June 27 conversation also touched on mental health services and implementing the Sandy Hook Promise, a program created to minimize gun violence on campuses after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Sandy Hook Promise program focuses on identifying and addressing warning signs in students, focusing largely on socialization, relationships and mental health.

The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu offers counseling services for the Malibu community and will be a key part of increasing school safety, said Ethan White, Data and Development Strategist for Boys & Girls Club of Malibu.

"In my mind it's an open question. I want the community to be heard on this and to feel that the city is doing what it can to address what — in my opinion — is a completely unacceptable situation," Farrer said.

Some public speakers, like a Malibu High School ninth grader and a representative of the Malibu Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association, supported the move to solicit proposals from private security companies.

Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein agreed law enforcement should only be one piece of a comprehensive discussion about school safety. Hiring a school security consultant would correct for some of these community concerns, Silverstein said. He agreed that a strictly security-based approach to school safety was shortsighted.