BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — More than two weeks after a deadly shooting at an Independence High School football game, parents, educators and community advocates are asking the Kern High School District to continue strengthening safety at school events.
Levi Brown, 17, was killed during the Aug. 21 game. Students later walked out of class, calling for action from district leaders.
At Tuesday's KHSD Board of Trustees meeting, parents, administrators and community members continued that conversation. While no current students addressed the board, recent Independence High School graduate Annabelle Espinoza attended in support.
Espinoza said she was directly in front of the shooting and was able to leave before the gates were closed. She supports additional screening, including identification checks and metal detectors or handheld security wands, as well as safety plans covering what happens both inside and outside school events.
However, Espinoza believes Independence staff and KHSD officers responded as well as they could when the shooting happened.
"I think I disagree with what they were saying about that our security doesn't really do much—because at least at the Independence game, our staff did all that they could. They handled the situation really well," Espinoza said.
Community advocate Nadine Escalante expressed a different perspective. Escalante, who leads the group Concerned Parents of Education, said she attended another district football game last Friday and saw too little visible security monitoring the stands.
"The staff were not walking around the stadium, watching the bleachers, around the kids. There's adults sitting in the bleachers—parents—but no security," Escalante said.
Escalante said she wants security personnel to receive additional training and remain visible as crowds leave stadiums and move into parking lots. She also challenged the board's request for patience.
"We've been bearing with them since I've been coming to these meetings for the last six years. We don't have time. These are our children," Escalante said.
Other speakers asked the district to treat student safety as more than physical security. They called for stronger mental-health support, earlier intervention and more opportunities for students to speak directly with school and district leaders before a crisis occurs.
A representative of Students for Change offered to work with KHSD as a liaison between students, staff and school campuses.
Since the shooting, KHSD has implemented enhanced safety measures at athletic events. Those measures include an increased security and law-enforcement presence, school-issued identification requirements for high school students, adult supervision for attendees who are not enrolled in high school, a ban on backpacks and large bags, and searches of all bags entering venues.
Board members thanked the community for supporting one another and asked for patience as the district works to heighten security and tighten access at school events.
The board was also scheduled to consider an agreement with Spheres of Safety Global Consulting to strengthen the district's Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management practices. The proposal includes training administrators in threat assessment, interviewing, investigation and de-escalation, along with guidance for managing potentially threatening student behavior.
The agenda listed the funding source for the agreement as "to be determined." The result of the board's vote was not immediately available.
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