By J. Graber
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The dismal results of a recent state-wide school safety audit by the Arizona Auditor’s office may be no reflection on the Scottsdale Unified School District, but district officials are still taking it seriously.

The state office, along with the Arizona Department of Education, audited 47 public and charter schools around Arizona to see if their emergency operations plans met the state’s minimum requirements and if they were fully implemented and tested.

Not one school passed the audit, but that doesn’t mean any Scottsdale Unified School District schools necessarily fall in with that bunch. The auditor general’s office is not releasing the names of the districts that where examined or where they fell short for safety reasons, but that doesn’t mean the Scottsdale Unified School District officials are ignoring the audit.

“As a response to the audit, the district is continuing to evaluate its plans to ensure that we meet the minimum standards as set forth by the (Arizona Department of Education) and improve our procedures as new information and new technology becomes available,” Scottsdale Unified School District Director of Safety and Security Josh Friedman said in a written statement to the Daily Independent.

Friedman, who took over his position in July 2022, said the district never stops preparing for an emergency scenario.

“The Scottsdale Unified School District reviews its emergency operations plans for all campuses and the district annually,” he said. “We work with each jurisdiction (fire, police and emergency management) to improve our plans and then ensure each agency signs for its copy of the plan each school year.
“Safety is a top priority for the Scottsdale Unified School District,” he continued. “We work hard every day to ensure that students have the safest and most productive learning environment possible and that all persons who enter our campuses for any activity are safe.”

The districts’ emergency operation plan was last updated in September.
Emergency operation plans address what to do in situations such as a gunman on campus as well as natural disasters, gas leaks and the presence of wildlife on campus.

For instance Chaparral High School’s emergency operation plan went into effect in October when a false report of someone holding hostages in a bathroom put the school in lock down.

The state-wide audit was completed as a result of a 2023 Legislative resolution and the findings were presented to members of the Legislature earlier this month.

Key findings of the report included:

• Most school emergency operations plans that were reviewed met fewer than half of the minimum standards required by the Arizona Department of Education and some charter schools did not have emergency operations plans, which could affect their abilities to effectively respond to safety emergencies. Emergency operations plans requirements need to be more clearly communicated to charter schools, and all schools could benefit from increased outreach, guidance and training on emergency planning.

• Most schools that were audited had not provided emergency procedures training to all staff, including substitute teachers;
had not conducted all required safety drills; and had not posted certain safety reference materials, which could affect their preparedness to respond to emergencies.

• Some emergency operations plan minimum standards are too vague, may be impractical, or lack a clear purpose. A comprehensive review
and update of the minimum standards could help ensure all standards are necessary and clearly explained.

• Most other states that were reviewed had monitoring processes to ensure schools comply with emergency operations plan requirements and have more clearly defined the role of law enforcement and emergency response agencies in EOP development; changes in these areas in Arizona could help improve schools’ emergency preparedness.
The report also listed some key recommendations:

• The Arizona Department of Education should ensure charters are aware of their responsibilities to develop school emergency operations plans, analyze the staffing and resources needed to initiate a compliance monitoring plan and communicate the monitoring plan, authority and resource needs to the Arizona governor and Legislature for further consideration.

• The Arizona Department of Education and the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs should evaluate what additional guidance is needed to help schools comply with the emergency operations plan minimum standards and provide necessary assistance; jointly complete a comprehensive standards review with stakeholder involvement; and work with stakeholders to clarify emergency response agencies’ roles in emergency operations plan development and, if needed, seek statutory changes.

• Districts and charters should develop school emergency operations plans that comply with the minimum standards, and ensure school emergency operations plans are fully implemented, tested and reviewed annually.

• Charter sponsors should help ensure their charters meet the statutory requirement to develop school EOPs and incorporate compliance monitoring into their statutorily required review and renewal processes.

J. Graber can be reached at jgraber@iniusa.org. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments pro or con on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.