Jason Harward co-editor-in-chief
In response to the horrific school shooting almost a month ago in Parkland, Florida, as well as a growing concern from the community about the safety of the high school itself, the district has moved Beverly Vista’s interim vice principal, Chris Hertz, into a new role: Director of School Safety.
Hertz’s position as the police and fire liaison for the district gives him much of the knowledge necessary for a move to Director of School Safety, which includes overseeing school safety plans and running emergency drills.
For Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy, the move was one way to address the concern shown by many in the community, highlighted by a recent School Safety forum at the high school and Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“Our school district is working to immediately address the issue of school safety and security on each of our campuses. There is currently no higher priority than to ensure that our facilities, policies and practices are completely addressing the needs of our students and community,” Bregy wrote in a statement to the community announcing the hire.
Student board member Jonathan Artal supported the measure, saying it could be valuable in preventing and responding to a possible crisis.
“I’m hopeful that the new position will streamline our response to any potential danger and help preclude incidents before they can happen,” Artal said.
Hertz was not available for comment at publishing time.