Dear Mr. Superintendent of the Turlock Unified School District,

My husband wrote you an email regarding school safety since you refused to meet with him in person. He wrote a list of short term and long term suggestions regarding the safety of your schools. This was done after we took pictures and video of open gates with no locks. He also videotaped himself walking around our daughter's campus for over three minutes this past Tuesday morning (Dec. 18) at 9 a.m.

We have footage of him passing 19 doors, five of them wide opened. When he meet with the principal the only arguments she had was that "We cannot live in fear." The principal then went on to say "This school is safe. There have been no safety issues. The only issue I have seen is the fact that we have seen an increase in renter families than home owner families." 
After this meeting we decided to remove our daughter from school that day. When my husband asked to take his daughter(step-daughter, different last names) out of class, the secretary did not verify my husband's ID nor did they pull her file to see if he was eligible to remove her from campus. My husband was then allowed on campus without a visitors badge. He then walked through the wide open doors of the music room where there were a total of three classes in one room (50-60 kids). 
Mr. Superintendent, instead of you listening to my husband's concerns you decided to contact his employer. You asked his employer to take disciplinary action on him. My husband's employer wrote up a "document" that will now remain in his file for one year.
What you should have done Mr. Superintendent was thank him for addressing the issue of unlocked gates and other safety issues on your elementary campuses. Instead you tried to get him in trouble with his employer.
Here is a thought Mr. Superintendent; if a gunman did enter one of your campuses would it be you and your office staff responding to the 911 call? Or would it be my husband and his co-workers risking their lives to protect the students that you neglected to keep safe?
Parents don't be afraid to let your voices be heard. If you have safety concerns please notify the Turlock School Board! Together we can make the safety of our children a top priority!

— Lori Hooper