Ensuring the safety of students and schools is a top priority for all school administrators, law enforcement and local fire departments in Nevada County. As the new school year begins, families are asking about their school’s emergency planning, preparedness, and prevention efforts. Local educational institutions, along with the Nevada County Superintendent’s Office, are building strong partnerships between schools, law enforcement, fire departments, and school community partners to improve campus and community safety.
Nevada County has nine school districts that supervise multiple schools, as well as several charter and private schools. We are fortunate to have the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Grass Valley Police Department, Nevada City Police Department, and the local California Highway Patrol to serve and protect our communities and schools. Similarly, multiple local and state fire agencies make up the Nevada County response team.
Nevada County public schools and charter schools have regularly reviewed and updated school safety plans, with guidance and technical assistance from law enforcement and fire service partners, and preparedness and emergency management from the School Technical Assistance Center. created. Plans include procedures for lockdowns, evacuations, active shooters, wildfires, earthquakes, and more. Each campus maintains a plan tailored to its site to address the critical, incident-specific, site-specific needs of that campus. The safety plan includes communication protocols for connecting with law enforcement and sending messages to family members. The plan is formally reviewed annually to ensure that current safety requirements are met and best practices are in place.
Fire drills and lockdown drills are scheduled throughout the school year to ensure students and staff know what to expect in the event of an emergency. Law enforcement and other public agencies have conducted active shooting drills on some school campuses to familiarize them with campus layouts and school safety plans. Agencies work together to develop relationships with county departments of education, school districts, and charter school sites.
All schools strive to create a healthy school environment where students feel welcome and connected. We work with Nevada County Behavioral Health and other community partners to make resources available to students and families.
Students and their families play an important role in the safety of school campuses. They may be the first to recognize warning signs that someone is in danger of harming themselves or others. We encourage you to talk to an adult to seek help or report concerns.
The Nevada County Superintendent of Education partnered with the Nevada County Community High School District to host the Nevada County Community Safety Summit. Local law enforcement, fire and emergency services officials will host a safety summit on Monday, September 12, 2022 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Bear River High School Theater and at the Nevada Union High School in Don. increase. Baggett Theater on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:00-8:00 PM At each event, resource tables with additional agencies will be available. Please help spread the word.
In conclusion, we would like to assure our community that we have protection systems in place and are ready to respond, and that we will continue to be proactive in our preventive efforts to keep our schools safe and secure.
Respectfully,
Scott W. Lay, Nevada County Superintendent of Education
Chris Espedal, Director of School Safety (NCSOS)
Jonathan Molnar, Bitney Prep High School
Katie Kohler, Chicago Park Elementary School
Carolyn Cramer, Clear Creek Elementary School
Peter Sagebiel, Forest Charter School
Andrew Withers, Grass Valley School District
John Baggett, Nevada City School District
Holly Pettit, Nevada City School of the Arts
Dan Frisella, United Union High School District, Nevada
Melissa Conley, Penn Valley Union Elementary School District
Rusty Clark, Pleasant Ridge Union School District
Richard Young, Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning
Scott Mikal-Heine, Twin Ridges Elementary School District
Jennifer Diaduff, Twin Ridges Home Study Charter
Andy Parsons, Union Hill School District
Dennis Hill, Yuba River Charter