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Los Angeles County, CA March 8, 2011 Election
Smart Voter

Safe Campuses

By Bennett S Kayser

Candidate for Board Member; Los Angeles Unified School District; District 5

This information is provided by the candidate
There are different aspects of safety at our schools.
There are different aspects of safety at our schools. One of them is the question of how safe the buildings and classrooms are in case of an earthquake, fire or some other disaster Is the school prepared to react to a disaster or other safety issue by keeping the children out of harm's way?

Then there is the safety issue of keeping LAUSD's facilities free of toxic and dangerous substances. Are the science labs, art classes, shops and other classrooms safe and ventilated? Have the teachers been properly trained in classroom safety? During my 14 years as an LAUSD teacher, other than fire and disaster drills, I was never formally trained in classroom or laboratory safety. Fortunately for me and my students, I had a decade of experience as a Laboratory and Radiation Safety Officer for the UCLA Medical School. As a member of the School Board I will develop a policy requiring teachers and allied staff to be trained in classroom safety.

The safety issue most often discussed is the victimization of students and others as a result of some type of violence or crime. There must be a zero tolerance for bullying, fighting, and other forms of violence especially when that violence is directed toward a group in the form of a hate crime. Where violence occurs more often than rarely, a uniformed School Police officer should walk a "beat" around the campus to make his/her presence obvious. There should be more access not just to police, but counselors as well. In areas of the District where children are not safe+or think they are not safe--walking to or from school, community organizers should assist neighborhoods to develop safety plans in the context of a Neighborhood Watch.

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