In the wake of the March 27 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, the presidents of two religious-based high schools in Bakersfield, California, shared with The Epoch Times what safety measures their schools are using to protect students from shootings.
Both presidents stated that they feel they have taken every precaution necessary, so if their schools had a shooting, they would be well prepared to handle the situation by prevention and stop the situation before anyone got hurt.
School shootings have been on the rise in the last decade in the United States. In data that was released by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2022, during the 2020–21 school year there were 93 shootings with casualties at public and private elementary and secondary schools, topping every other year on record.
Matt Guinn, president of Bakersfield Christian High School (BCHS), said, “Student and staff safety is a major focus for us.”
“We are blessed to have a team of former law enforcement personnel that bring their training and expertise to our campus each day to keep our students and staff safe. We also do our best to coordinate with outside agencies on best practices and share information related to general areas of concern,” Guinn said. “Without getting into specific details of safety and protocols and trainings, we do hold several drills throughout the school year to be prepared for a number of different scenarios. ... We are blessed to have a robust video surveillance system and take other measures to monitor and control access to the campus.”
He said they had discussed the shooting in Nashville at their school.
The Covenant School, where 28-year-old Audrey Hale killed three children and three adults, is not surrounded by fences and has multiple ways a person can get inside.
“I think that is wise to always review such incidences and examine areas for improvement in our own security. There are a few areas we want to shore up, but overall, the main message has been to continue to be vigilant and diligent in our preparation and monitoring of the campus,” Guinn said.
Kent P. Hickey, president of Garces Memorial High School (GMHS), discussed how the school trains faculty and students and provides many means of safety for students, teachers, staff, and visitors.
Hickey said that GMHS conducts safety drills for faculty and students under the leadership of three employees who are law enforcement officers.
“We have a fence around the entire campus, security cameras positioned in numerous locations, identification badges for all employees, strict background check protocols, and a gated entry that requires visitors to identify themselves before they are allowed to enter,” he said.
Hickey said that there could be room for improvement.
“We believe that campus security would be enhanced by upgrades and seek funding from federal sources,” he said.
He also mentioned that he recently looked for funding from a state source, but it was denied, and he does not know why. However, GMHS is taking necessary steps to ensure the safety of its students.
