Center for Public Safety Set to Open in San Diego

Mayor Jerry Sanders announced today that as part of a collaborative effort spearheaded by Fire Chief Tracy Jarman and Superintendent of San Diego Unified School District Carl Cohn, the Center for Public Safety -- an innovative partnership that brings together academics and public safety -- will open on the campus of the new Lincoln High School in September 2007. This marks the culmination of an effort that began in 2004 with the cooperation of the San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Community College District and San Diego City Council members Tony Young and Brian Maienschein and School Board Vice President Sheila Jackson.

The Center for Public Safety will eventually have a student body of approximately 450 students in grades 10 through 12. The initial objective of the Center for Public Safety is to attract and engage a greater number of students with diverse backgrounds to public safety careers as firefighters, lifeguards and emergency medical service personnel within the City of San Diego.

The curriculum will focus on the exploration of public safety occupations while providing all students with an educational experience that will prepare them for college, vocation, and citizenship.

The Public Safety Programs of Study will include:

• Fire Science
• Emergency Medical Services
• Lifeguard and Swift Water Rescue
• Dispatching/Radio Communications
• Police Science/Administration of Justice
• Students will be able to receive certifications in:

o Basic First Aid

o CPR

o Automatic External Defibrilator (AED)

o Water Safety

o Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

o Fire Science

• Through the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department students at the Center for Public Safety will have mentors and the opportunity for job shadowing, internships and ride alongs.
• The Center for Public Safety will hold the same high standards for students as in any district high school. The curriculum will be designed to meet both the University of California (UC) entrance requirements and the entry-level requirements for the various public safety careers. Students will have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and community college credits upon graduation.
• The San Diego Unified School District, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is funding a a subject-matter expert from the Fire-Rescue Department to assist with curriculum development.
• Student achievement at the Center for Public Safety will be measured by assessments which are already in place such as California High School Exit Examination results and standardized norm-referenced and standards-based test scores. Additional assessments include parent and community feedback as well as follow-up studies of graduates.

The continued success of the Center for Public Safety relies on the partnerships and continued strong relationships that have matured while the concept has been developed over the past three years.

These partners include:

• The City of San Diego
• San Diego Unified School District
• San Diego Community College District
• San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
• San Diego Police Department
• Local labor representatives

In September 2004, the Fire Chief for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department successfully approached the San Diego Unified School District Superintendent about developing a new small high school focused on public safety. The intent was to improve student achievement, expose more students to public safety careers, and attract more students into the field of public safety from underrepresented communities.

As a result, the Public Safety High School (PSHS) Steering Committee was formed, comprised of public safety employees, community college and unified school districts professionals, labor representatives, and Fourth District Councilmember Tony Young's staff members to explore the possibilities of starting a small public safety high school.


The working group gathered information from other schools with a similar focus from around the country. There are a number of new and emerging public safety high schools developed in partnership with local fire, emergency medical service and law enforcement agencies (i.e., New York City, Boston, and San Bernardino). These schools reported increased student engagement, improved academic achievement and high college admission rates. In addition, they have increased community public safety relations with future members of the workforce and contributing members of city neighborhoods.
 

The San Diego Unified School Board voted unanimously to implement the Center for Public Safety Program in July 2005. Originally scheduled to open at Lincoln High School in September 2006 starting with 9th grade students incubating to a 12th grade system over a four-year period, construction delays pushed the opening of the school back to September 2007.