By Mike Hazlip—
In the wake of Tuesday’s horrifying mass shooting at a school in Texas, Citrus Heights council members on Thursday expressed condolences and took a preliminary step towards conducting a review of the safety of Citrus Heights schools.
Councilman Bret Daniels during a council meeting on May 26 called the shooting “evil” as he sought support from his fellow colleagues to form a committee focused on school safety, with the item placed on a future agenda.
“Evil presented itself once again in America, and this time it was at the worst area,” Daniels said. As the parent of a soon-to-be kindergarten student, the councilman said he “has skin in the game” and is looking to see involvement from the school district, parents, law enforcement, and his fellow council members in assessing school safety.
Daniels said the committee would be focused on evaluating schools in Citrus Heights to make them more difficult targets. He said area schools already have some measures in place to prevent an attack, but added: “I think things could be better.”
School security is under the purview of San Juan Unified School District and Daniels said he hopes to have their cooperation with the proposed committee.
“We do not control the school district, that’s very clear,” said Daniels. “But our kids go to school here, and our parents don’t care if we’re not in charge of the school district. What they care about is: are our kids safe.”
Mayor Porsche Middleton expressed support for the idea, as well as Councilman Steve Miller and other council members, meeting the council’s requirement that requests for future agenda items receive the support of at least three council members before being agendized.
Vice Mayor Tim Schaefer also offered comments on the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, calling it “horribly tragic” and advocating for a focus on mental health to be part of future plans to curb violence.
Miller and Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins suggested using an existing committee for the effort, saying the district does have a safe schools department and bond money was already invested in walls and fencing around schools.
City Manager Ashley Feeney said staff will move forward with placing the item on an upcoming agenda. Daniels said he hopes a review of area schools can be completed during the summer break, with any recommendations made before the start of the next school year.
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