The recent rash of gang assaults at Brownell Middle School
– by girls from other middle schools entering the campus – ought
to prompt a security review aimed at all Gilroy Unified School
District middle schools before the situation escalates.
The recent rash of gang assaults at Brownell Middle School – by girls from other middle schools entering the campus – ought to prompt a security review aimed at all Gilroy Unified School District middle schools before the situation escalates.
It’s already bad enough. On at least three occasions, unauthorized girls have entered the Brownell campus. Twice, Brownell students were assaulted.
Brownell Middle School Principal Joseph DiSalvo’s assessment: “I’ve examined our practices, our policies, our relationships. There is nothing we could have done differently.”
It’s a very difficult situation – and a terrible one – for any principal to be in. But it’s worth a meeting or two to assess if anything else can be done to protect students at Gilroy’s middle schools.
The terrible tragedy in 1995 – a stabbing death at Gilroy High School – sticks in this community’s collective memory as a reminder that we must do all we can.
Is there anything we can do to make our middle schools safer?
GUSD administrators need support from the city’s police department when looking at the security measures in place at all three middle school campuses. Is there a need for more fencing? Are the gates manned by staff members who can spot unauthorized visitors? What about deployment of security personnel? Can regular officers visit more often?
If that’s impractical, perhaps it’s time to employee a measure used by many companies: swipe cards for entry.
Schools are already issuing student IDs to students. Adding a magnetic strip and a reader at gates might go a long way toward denying access to unauthorized visitors.
Let’s review the placement of security cameras and make certain that their presence is widely advertised. Just the knowledge that an unblinking eye is watching and recording a visitor’s every move can act as a strong deterrent.
Finally, this should be addressed in the city-school liaison committee meetings. Are enough school resource officer resources being devoted to GUSD’s three middle schools? How can they be used more effectively? Are there other steps the city can take to improve security at Brownell and the city’s other middle schools?
We owe GUSD students and parents a safe environment in which to learn. The rash of gang violence at Brownell should serve as a warning that we must do more to create that safe environment at our community’s middle schools.
