An estimated 800 people attended a listening session in the wake of last week’s deadly on-campus stabbing at Montgomery High School. Students, parents, teachers, staff and others gathered at the Friedman Event Center in east Santa Rosa for the community forum on Tuesday afternoon. Speakers rose for about two hours, urging school officials to take immediate action toward making the campus safer, and to protect them from violence. Others asked to be better informed during emergencies. Suggestions made by speakers included incorporating better alarm codes, scheduling safety meetings at the beginning of the school year, and adding more drills. There were also calls for more mental health support in schools.
Meanwhile, Santa Rosa City Schools Superintendent Anna Trunnell is promising to make changes. Trunnell says parents’ and students’ pleas for a safer school environment at a community meeting on Tuesday are her “call to action.” The superintendent says her office will analyze how it communicates information about emergencies and look at what extra resources are needed on campuses. Trunnell adds that she’s going to visit all of the schools in the district to gauge needs and gather more feedback.
KSRO’s Michelle Marques and Larry Olson spoke with Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan who was in attendance at the listening session Tuesday evening.
