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A day after deadly Texas shooting, SLO County police officers stand guard outside schools

Families dropping their students off at school in Grover Beach on Wednesday morning were greeted by an increased police presence, just a day after a tragic shooting killed 19 children and two adults in Texas.

“You may have noticed us,” the Grover Beach Police Department tweeted Wednesday. “This morning our patrol officers helped greet (Lucia Mar Unified School District) students and parents to all Grover Beach schools.”

According to the tweet, officers on patrol spent extra time on and near campuses throughout Wednesday. A photo shared in the tweet showed a Grover Beach Police vehicle at the gates at one of the city’s three elementary schools.

Grover Beach Police Chief John Peters said the increased presence was due to the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday.

“We understand that children and parents may feel somewhat anxious after hearing of the horrible tragedy in Uvalde,” Peters wrote in an email to The Tribune. “We felt it was important to have a presence at the schools for reassurance that we are working in partnership with our schools and parents to help provide a safe learning environment.”

Peters said school staff members and parents “expressed their thanks for our more than normal presence.”

SLO County superintendent to convene meeting of school leaders

Soon after news broke of the deadly massacre on Tuesday, San Luis Obispo County Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia sent out a message to local media, expressing condolences to all impacted by the shooting.

“We must continue to take care of ourselves and one another as we experience shock, grief, anger and despair,” Brescia wrote in the email. “It is crucial to maintain both physical and emotional safety in our schools.

“As children, families, staff and community members hear about this horrific event, emotions are heightened. Sensitivity, compassion and empathy are required as we engage in conversations.”

Brescia said he and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson will convene a meeting of the leaders of local public, private, parochial and charter schools “to review safety protocols and proactive school response measures.”

Brescia added that a focus on the mental health of students, families, staff and community members “remains a priority.”

Uvalde (United States), 25/05/2022.- Police and investigators continue to work at the scene of a mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, USA, 24 May 2022. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, at least 18 children and two adults were killed in the shooting. The eighteen-year-old gunman was killed by responding officers. (Estados Unidos) EFE/EPA/AARON M. SPRECHER

Central Coast leaders react to Texas shooting

Several other Central Coast leaders issued statements following the shooting in Texas.

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, who represents California’s 24th District, said he was “horrified and heartbroken” by the incident.

“This unspeakable act of senseless violence adds Robb Elementary School to the too-long of a list of schools scarred by America’s gun violence epidemic — one that includes Sandy Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Columbine and our own (UC Santa Barbara),” he said in the statement. “Eight years ago, it was Santa Barbara. Today, it is Uvalde. Tomorrow, it could be kids in another classroom anywhere in America.”

In his statement, Carbajal mentioned the 2014 Isla Vista shooting that killed six people and injured 14 near the UC Santa Barbara campus.

“Yesterday, we marked eight years since Santa Barbara last felt the terror that comes with a mass shooting at one of our schools — the pit in a parent’s stomach not knowing if their child is safe or the decades of trauma it brings to our students and teachers,” he said. “I pray it does not take another eight years to bring those who claim to be on the side of reducing crime and protecting our communities to their senses.”

Morro Bay City Council member Dawn Addis, who helped organize March for Our Lives in San Luis Obispo and represented the Central Coast at the Presidential Forum on Gun Violence in 2019, also issued a statement on the Texas shooting.

“My heart is with every victim and survivor who is living through the tragedy of gun violence this week,” she said. “As a mom, a teacher, and an American it is impossible to be silent. These are senseless deaths that we cannot ignore.

“This is not the time to become numb. It is not the time to let someone else do the work. It’s up to each of us to speak up, to show up, and to make a difference. We have to create change at every level.”