LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to bolster a program geared toward identifying troubled kids in order to prevent school shootings and other violence.
Supervisors Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger championed the plan to enhance the School Threat Assessment Response Team, which was established in 2009.
“It’s been almost two weeks since 17 people were killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida,” Hahn said. “Our own schools in L.A. County are not immune.”
In addition to foiling a shooting plot at El Camino High School in South Whittier — by a student who had two AR-15 rifles, two handguns and 90 high-capacity ammunition magazines at home — authorities have responded to threats in the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita, Long Beach, Inglewood, Bellflower and Cerritos since the Florida shooting.
The START team received 63 threats last week, but has only 10 mental health professionals to respond to those threats, Hahn said.
“In a county of 10 million people, I think we need more than 10 people working on this case,” Hahn said.
Barger said she agreed with proposals to increase the legal age for gun ownership, but also hopes to see more focus on the root causes of gun violence in schools.
Barger said she listened to 911 calls made by 19-year-old alleged Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the school.
“His mother had died and he was crying out for help … nothing was done,” Barger said.
Parents need to know where to seek mental health care for their children and others who can help must step in to take action, Barger told her colleagues.
After receiving a credible threat, START team members visit the school, evaluate the student and go to the student’s home. In most cases, they can recommend counseling. However, in more serious cases, a student may be put in a locked psychiatric ward for 72 hours for observation and treatment — or arrested, if a crime has been committed.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Chief Steve Johnson said the value of the START program is “you don’t have to wait for a 911 call.”
The program differs from other mental health teams that partner with sheriff’s deputies to respond to calls on the street in that START’s primary focus is prevention and intervention.
During the last year, the START team worked with 127 students referred by school faculty, law enforcement and other professionals, aiming to prevent not just school violence but other potential tragedies.
Elaine Williams, school safety chief for the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District — which includes El Camino High School — told the board that the district had two student suicides this school year.
Sheriff’s Chief Warren Asmus said a “potentially devastating” tragedy was prevented at El Camino High School in part because a longtime school security officer alerted authorities. He argued that it showed the value of having sheriff’s deputies and other security on school campuses.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl agreed with expanding START, but said gun control legislation is also critical.
Kuehl cited a post she saw online by a mother who wrote, “If my son hits someone with a stick, I don’t blame the stick, but I still take the stick away.”
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said limiting the availability of high- powered rifles and handguns is the key.
“Someone said it’s the price of freedom. That price is way too high,” Ridley-Thomas said. “The bottom line is that we have to confront the gun lobby like never before.”
The board voted unanimously in support of the motion, which directs staffers from various county departments to reach out to community groups and report back in 30 days with recommendations on potentially expanding START and finding other ways to enhance its effectiveness.
“Until Congress passes real comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation, we should not be surprised to see more mass shootings in this country,” Hahn said. “That won’t stop us from doing everything we can at the local level to protect our kids.”
Previous related story: Student, 18, arrested for threats against Quartz Hill High School
Roger says
Remember, back in the ’70s, those mood rings the hippy girls were wearing? I think that’s what they’ll do. They’ll mandate those dumb kids into high technology mood collars. Whensoever one of them turns, blue to red-hot, the campus anti-erection response unit will spring to action, with fire extinguishers, squeezing off a crotch-burst of halon to cool that horny toad down. When it turns, green to black? Lookout! The campus SWAT squad springs to action, fully automatic machine guns, cornering the little fellow, tasering the kid asunder, on account he got himself a little worked up over something. If it’s a color between black and red? The little succor gets ‘um both –
Alexis says
Barger said she listened to 911 calls made by 19-year old Nikolas Cruz, “His mother had died, and he was crying out for help…nothing was done.” The whole story is that Nikolas Cruz was holding guns to his brothers head before his mother died. He was troubled long before his mother died, and nothing was done. At least one of the guns he purchased was at Dick’s Sporting Goods. I wonder if that was an incentive for Dick’s to stop selling assault weapons?
Mayra says
To cast a wide enough net, you can expect 34% of the student body falling under surveillance at any one time, with up to 92% of the student body falling under surveillance, at some point throughout their high school education. Biggest can of worms in the history of socialized education, anticipate ever increasing reluctance of affluent parents, to submit their children for public school attendance.
Lorna says
think of it as an itty-bitty chunk of East Germany, incorporated into every public school. By the time they graduate, those schools will have compiled special secret little dossiers, on just about every student. And, how much do you suppose certain people would pay, for access into those school dossiers?
Laughing says
A good high school has every student ‘under surveillance’ every day. The teachers should be paying attention to the students, same with staff. One would hope fellow students look out for each other as well.
Where are the readers of this article seeing electronic surveillance? I have read it twice and I just keep seeing reference to human eyes and contact.
Barry says
So, they’re going to assemble a do-gooder committee, to vote on which kids they want singled-out. And then, they’re going to assign certain people, to stalk them; to stake them out; to eavesdrop on them. Most of the kids won’t be. Just certain ones arbitrarily chosen.
Blair says
… “expansion of student intervention,” a clever euphemism for 24/7-365 electronic surveillance, I’m less concerned over school violence, and more concerned with the adverse selection dilemma this poses; exactly what bureaucracy the policy community will encharge the task, of stalking and eavesdropping upon our adolescents. Those most eager to perform this peculiar function are not (NOT) going to be the people we’d want, anywhere near our children, and our young adults –
Laughing says
Um, I read this article as it is community (meaning school staff and other students) eyes at work. It is called getting a person help rather than ignoring them to find their own way.