Over the past year, KSBY News has covered stories regarding the safety concerns and violence taking place at El Camino Junior high School. Now halfway into the new school year, changes have been made and teachers and faculty have found that they've been working.
Deanna Jones has been a World History teacher at the junior high for 13 years and was one of several teachers who pleaded to the Santa Maria-Bonita school board last March for change. In her speech she said that "until recently, I was proud to tell people that I worked for our distinguished school district...but lately my confidence in this district's leadership has flatlined."
She looked back on her time as a teacher last year saying "it wasn't just a matter of saying things when they shouldn't, but being physical.”
KSBY asked new principal Alexander Jauregui, who started in July, what would someone see if they walked onto campus today?
“They would see more structures in place in regards to how we're helping guide our students on the right path,” Jauregui said.
Some of the changes have been looking at survey data more closely to figure out how students are doing in and out of the classroom. The most glaring change though has been the emphasis in accountability and a clear discipline policy.
“Collaborating with the students on trying to build their awareness of what they're doing and what the harms that affects them and other students," Jauregui said. "But also collaborating with parents and making sure they understand, you know, the consequences that kids are getting because of what their kids are doing.”
KSBY submitted a records request for service calls to the police department from the school last year. The records revealed that from August 10, 2023 to December 14, 2023, there were 60 calls and 136 for the whole school year. In that same period this school year, there have been 32 calls. For Jones, she’s noticed a difference in students this year.
“Students know that what happens in the classroom and out on the blacktop will have consequences," Jones explained. "If they're doing the right thing, they also know that we will recognize them for that.”
For other teachers like Ally Vellema, they feel the change in their classroom.
“I love my classroom, I love my job and I love my school. I'm really, really excited for the positive changes that have happened the past couple of months," Vellema stated.
With three added contracted security personnel on-campus and increased presence in wrangling in students who are roaming out of class unexcused, Jauregui says there is more to be done including an increased awareness to the dangers of what he believes to be the root cause of the issues on-campus: social media.
“That is an area that we're really trying to focus on is bridging that gap and creating those partnerships with parents at home,” Jauregui stated.
Jauregui also said "that the work still isn't done." However, Jones said that she feels that the school is on a positive trajectory.
