Grand Jury investigates safety of Fresno County schools

The Fresno County Grand Jury believes law enforcement and county schools are well-positioned to deal with active shooters on campus.

It goes on to say it doesn't believe a Uvalde, Texas-type incident would happen here.

In the 22-page report, it writes that school districts don't share the same level of concern or urgency about school security or how to deal with the issue.

But it found that local officers and deputies appear to be well-trained for school shootings.

The Grand Jury learned that a first officer or deputy on-site has the authority to minimize any potential threat by going after an active shooter without waiting for backup.

It also discovered only the Fresno County Sheriff's Office can communicate directly by radio with all local law enforcement agencies.

Some schools have modern radio communication systems, while others have none. The Grand Jury wants schools with surplus equipment to donate to districts that need it.

Back to the topic of school security, the Grand Jury found many districts require schools to lock exterior and interior doors during class, but not all districts enforce the policy for a variety of reasons.

Numerous school and law enforcement officials emphasized the importance of parent participation in school safety but shared that community and school meetings had very low turnouts.

It believes all school districts should conduct at least one full on-site active shooter emergency drill, each school should have a trained, sworn, and equipped school resource officer and all should maximize the use of video surveillance.

Lastly, the Grand Jury suggests that all school boards in the county clearly define and implement appropriate funding and policies to maximize school security and student safety.