There’s a new person in charge at El Camino Junior High School in Santa Maria, where teachers say violence has been an ongoing concern for both staff and parents.
"We've had many staff be hit, scratched, grabbed, pulled. Some of these were intentional by students intending to harm adults," said Luke Laurie, El Camino Jr. High science teacher.
The school has seen a rise in student violence over the past three years, according to teachers like Laurie, who's been there for 27 years.
KSBY covered one of the school district’s meetings last March when the issue was brought to the board's attention. There, parents and staff like Laurie expressed their concerns.
“We reached a level of frustration with the level of violence at El Camino that was way beyond the kind of violence that any school should ever experience," Laurie said.
Following this, the administration made changes, adding more security and support to staff.
“There was [an] all hands on deck response from the district," Laurie said. "They increased the level of support staff.”
As the new school year approaches, the new principal, Alex Jauregui, has a plan to address the issue, starting with a clear discipline policy.
"If you do this, this is the consequence and making it very understandable for everybody just so that they know coming in, these are the expectations, right? We want to make sure that we have a high bar for all students,” Jauregui said.
Jauregui also aims to strengthen the relationship between teachers and students.
"Making sure that it's, we're addressing the whole child, not only when they're here, but when they're at home as well,” he added.
Laurie supports the principal's plan and looks forward to the new school year with cautious optimism.
"I think that, with strong leadership, with clear communication, with clear guidelines, I think El Camino can thrive this year," Laurie said.
