A bill signed by Governor Jerry Brown Tuesday will require schools built prior to 2012 that are seeking state-school bonds for modernization projects to include in those projects the installation of locks on classroom doors that can be locked from the inside.
Schools built after 2012 are required to have these types of locks, according to a press release from the bill’s author, 70th District Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, Tuesday. The measure, Assembly Bill 3205, takes effect Jan. 1.
The Q&A below between O’Donnell and the Signal Tribune took place via email Wednesday.
Q: What was the inspiration behind AB 3205?
A: The bill was introduced in response to school shootings across the country. The incidents at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and school staff were killed, and Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, with 10 fatalities, were tragic. Schools should be safe havens and not the site of mass shootings.
Q: As a teacher, how did the events that inspired the bill or the source of inspiration for the bill impact you?
A: The shooting affected me deeply. As a teacher, I know that it can happen at any school. I have participated in many school lockdowns and can attest to the need to lock a door quickly, without having to first get out your keys and walk outside the classroom to lock the door. This takes time and may expose a teacher to a very unsafe environment. It’s important for schools to be prepared and equipped to respond to an active shooter or any threatening situation. Students come to school and parents send their children to school expecting schools to be safe.
Q: As a teacher who has participated in many school lockdowns, can you describe a scenario you experienced where teachers might have benefited from having the ability to lock their doors from the inside and how having those locks would have impacted the situation?
A: When we are told to go into a lockdown, we do it. We’re not informed about the details of the events or are aware of what is going on in other classrooms or areas.
Q: Given that the bill specifically requires schools that are seeking state-school bonds to incorporate the locks that lock from the inside on classroom doors, what is your sense of how great of an impact the bill will have in its first or second year in effect?
A: The concept in AB 3205 had been introduced previously by other legislators, but those bills were always stopped in fiscal committees due to costs. AB 3205 applies to all projects seeking state-bond funding to modernize a school after Jan. 1, 2019.
Q: What were the key obstacles in getting this bill through the legislative process and signed by the governor, and how did you navigate those obstacles?
A: The key obstacle is always cost. I tied the bill to state-school bonds to provide a source of funding.
Q: Was there significant opposition to the bill over the course of the process?
A: There was no opposition to my bill. Prior introductions of this bill had opposition from school districts and school boards. They did not oppose because they did not want to protect students and teachers. They opposed because of lack of funding. AB 3205 was written in a way to provide a source of funding. In light of the recent shootings taking place at schools, and in case of future incidents, I believe that school-district officials realized that something had to be done, and, therefore, did not oppose the bill this time.
Q: How does this bill play into the ongoing conversations surrounding campus safety, school shootings, etc?
A: This bill is one piece of the school-safety puzzle. My bill was the only one dealing with the physical aspect of campus security. The other bills dealt with school resource officers and school-safety plans.
Q: Are you currently working on any additional measures or efforts that might address those ongoing campus-safety conversations?
A: We just completed our legislative session and are still waiting for the governor to take action on all the bills on his desk. I am willing to look into other strategies to ensure school safety when considering my legislation next year.
End of Q/A
Chris Eftychiou, public information director for the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), told the Signal Tribune by telephone Thursday that the LBUSD has numerous modernization projects that have been or will be in the works, and the LBUSD has been incorporating these locks in many of these projects already.
“Our school district has been tracking AB 3205 and has had contact with Mr. O’Donnell’s office about the intent of this bill,” Eftychiou said. “We do not expect this legislation to have a significant impact on our program. During our modernization program, we are already replacing older locks due to accessibility issues. When these locks are replaced, they are being replaced with locks that comply with the new rule.”
More information about the modernization projects in the LBUSD is available at lbschoolbonds.net.
