Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of Da Vinci Communications, Design, Science and Connect High Schools:
Earlier this week we became aware of a threat based on postings on social media that warned of a possible shooting at our campus on Wednesday, September 8th. We immediately contacted our School Resource Officers from the El Segundo Police Department (ESPD) who initiated an immediate investigation into the matter, in collaboration with Da Vinci Schools. Thanks in large part to the volume of information received from parents, students, staff, and community members, both DV and ESPD were able to successfully investigate and identify the students involved in the incident. We followed up with communication early Wednesday morning to inform all DVC, DVD, DVS and Connect High families that our schools would be open on Wednesday after having verified that the threat was deemed not to be credible.
Here are a few updates that we would like to share with you based on follow-up questions that we have received from families after the last notification went out:
– School has continued this week safely and without any further interruptions
– ESPD and DV continue to investigate the incident in order to ensure that all the issues that came to our attention this week are fully addressed
– ESPD has continued to provide their assistance as a resource to our schools
– Students at DVC, DVD, and DVS who were present on Wednesday participated in an activity that morning provided by DVC Principal Erin D’Souza that gave the students an opportunity to discuss the incident and address it in a focused and healthy manner. Connect HS students will also have this resource available to them. > School Safety Update
– All Counselors and mental health staff have been made available to students and staff to assist in any way possible to help with any anxiety, stress, and trauma generated by this incident
– Our Critical Incident Drill which was being planned for late September/early October will be moved up to be conducted as soon as possible in collaboration with ESPD and the El Segundo Fire Department
– We will continue to review and improve our critical incident communication and procedures. Thank you to the many people who have submitted suggestions and recommendations.
Lastly, many questions were posed regarding specific information about the students involved. This type of information is referred to as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as defined in Title 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 99.3. and also relates to the type of information that is categorized as a student record. Both at the state level (California Education Code 49061(b), 49076, and Title 5 California Code of Regulations 430 (b)), and the federal level through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 34 CFR 99.31, student records are protected as confidential records and can only be accessed as provided in law.
Thank you for your support. We will continue to provide updates as needed. Our goal remains to provide the highest level of safety possible for our students and staff.
Be well and be safe,
Vicente Bravo
Chief Administrative Officer
Da Vinci Schools
201 N. Douglas Street
Office – #1308-Musician
El Segundo, CA 90245
(424) 290-3244 direct
(310) 725-5800, Ext. 1308 main
vbravo@davincischools.org