Montecito Union School

Safety at MUS

Here at Montecito Union School, we are committed to safety as a priority to ensure the well-being of our students and staff.   We encourage the practice of ‘see something, say something’ to help keep our school community safe.

1. CCTV System - MUS has more than 25 security cameras that support daily campus safety and integrate the use of artificial intelligence for facial and vehicle detection.  Our CCTV system also sends alerts when unauthorized action on campus occurs.  

2. Perimeter - We have a ‘closed campus’ during the learning day that includes security checks throughout the day.  Parents and visitors check-in through the front office to enter campus.  We have a global locking system that enables us to lock down our perimeter and classroom doors within 30 seconds.

3. Staffing/Staff Badges - MUS has over 100 employees on campus.  All of the MUS employees wear identification badges.  This helps our students familiarize themselves with adults around school.  These badges also serve as keys for our staff members, and the badges have QR codes which link all staff members to digital resources that can be useful in emergency situations.   

4. Standard Response Protocol - The SRP (see below) is a county-wide protocol that includes common language and clear direction to ensure everyone understands the appropriate response to emergency situations like earthquakes, fires, or intruders. The SRP is visible all around campus.  

5. Community Partners - We view safety as a community effort, so we partner with the Montecito Fire Department, Santa Barbara Sheriff, Montecito Association, the County of Santa Barbara, and others to utilize our campus for meetings, training, and community events.

6. Disaster Preparation - Each year, we updated our Comprehensive School Safety Plan to stay prepared.  We have supplies of food and water in a variety of locations on campus.  Students bring emergency bags of food/drink as well.  

7. On-going Training and Communication - We conduct monthly safety drills and update families on those safety drills and safety related issues.  Training is provided to our staff to make sure that they are updated on current safety practices. We encourage all parents to sign up for ‘Ready SBC’ alerts (click ready sbc).