Committed to Safe and Secure Schools

The Manhattan Beach Unified School District continues to keep the safety of students and staff as its highest priority by utilizing multiple safety measures already implemented throughout the District that help us provide safe, secure, and positive learning environments. 

Here are some safeguards we have in place:

• Patrol officers and maintenance staff conduct security checks throughout their respective shifts.
  
  
• Each school site maintains a locked perimeter during the school day, and all visitors to campus are required to check in through each school’s front office and to wear a visitor’s badge while on campus.
  
  
• Every campus conducts regular drills to prepare for the possibility of a variety of emergencies, including earthquakes, fire, shelter-in-place, and lockdown drills.
  
  
• Each school reviews and updates its safety plan on an annual basis, and the Board of Trustees approves those plans.
  
  
• The City currently staffs two MBPD officer who is assigned full-time to District schools through the Police Department’s School Resource Officer Program.
  
  
• All emergency systems at all school sites are tested regularly.
  
  
• Classroom doors are equipped with Lock-Blocs to help teachers lock and secure doors from the inside of their classrooms.
  
  
• Police, City officials, and school administrators meet regularly to discuss opportunities to improve school safety and security measures.
  
  
• The Police SWAT Team conducts an annual review of each school’s infrastructure and emergency evacuation plan.
  
  
• MBPD patrol supervisors regularly conduct briefings and training with officers to address emergency responses to our schools.
  
  
• The MBUSD Board of Trustees, on December 11, 2019, adopted a resolution supporting safe gun storage; parents are informed of this important resolution on an annual basis.

Communication

We all know that unfortunate and unplanned events can occur. Please know that the priority in an emergency will always be to assure the safety of students and staff. In case of an emergency, we are prepared to provide students, staff, parents, and the school community with timely, accurate, and honest information. 

Information – especially rumors – spreads quickly. Even one inaccurate email, text message, or social media post can spark rumors, create unnecessary panic, or make a real emergency even worse. In case of an emergency, we ask that you remember to look for accurate information from your student’s school administrator or the District. We deliver emergency messages via email, text, call, and social media. The District and schools also promote “See or Hear Something, Say Something” among parents/guardians, students, and staff, and encourage everyone to speak up.

How can you help?

In an emergency, parents and families have a role in helping to keep the school community safe. Because phone lines may be busy or impacted it will be important to keep them open for use by local safety officials. Also, if the school is on lockdown, we may not be able to immediately allow anyone on or off campus. Here’s how families can help:

• Please be patient and monitor email and other communication platforms for information and updates. We WILL notify parents and guardians.
  
  
  
• Please make sure that we have the best phone number, cell number, and email address to reach you (keep updated in Aeries).
  
  
  
• Please remember to only rely on official sources of information during an emergency. We do not want to complicate a crisis with inaccurate information and rumors. 
  
  

By working together we can be effective partners in creating the safest school environments possible.