NBC

Parents Raise Concerns Over Student Safety at Fallbrook HS

Report of firearm sparks two lockdowns in two months

Parents addressed concerns regarding school safety Monday at a meeting of trustees with the Fallbrook Union High School District.

Many parents told NBC 7, two lockdowns at Fallbrook High School in just the past few months is not acceptable and something needs to change.

The first lockdown was almost two months ago. During that incident, a loaded gun was found on campus.

Then, the high school was put on lockdown last Wednesday, after a report of a gun on campus. Authorities did not find a gun and the lockdown was lifted after a couple of hours.

NBC 7 spoke with a teacher at Fallbrook High School who explained the first lockdown prompted more training for teachers on what to do in emergency situations.

Those training sessions were originally supposed to happen in the middle of April, but were moved up to this week since the there have now been two such incidents in less than two months.

Teachers will be trained on Thursday and Friday.

The training is called Options Based Response Training, focusing on different scenarios; like when to run, hide or fight. They will then teach their students. 

Many parents said they want a San Diego County sheriff's deputy assigned to the school. The board instead decided to hire nine unarmed security guards.

Monday night trustees said they're looking into ways of possibly bringing an armed guard on campus during school hours.  One parent, Nora Maier applauded the district's efforts.  

"I wanted as a parent to thank you all for your diligence at putting our student's safety in an abundance of caution," she said.

Enrique Acosta, father of two students at the high school is still concerned.

"You're out there and the kids are here and when you're outside you don't know what's going on inside, right? You don't know if there's somebody with a gun trying to harm somebody," he said.

The school held an emergency meeting with parents last Wednesday to go over student safety.

FUHSD President Sharon Koehler spoke regarding the new safety training and precautions.  

"This is a step beyond anything most schools would ever have to know, but better to know it and not need it than to need it and not know it," she said.

Contact Us