• Student & Community Services

      The Student & Community Services Department addresses the academic, behavior, physical, and mental health needs of all students. The department's priorities are:

      1. Academic and behavior prevention to allow access to support for all students in need.

      2. Safety of all staff and students. 

      3. To build relationships with schools, families, and the community.

      4. To provide resources that benefit staff, students, and families.

      5. To emphasize the use of evidence-based practices, use of data for decision making, and systems with appropriate implementation.

      6. Continuous review of indicators and outcomes such as: academic achievement; the responsibilities of discipline referrals; suspension and expulsion rates; attendance; and  graduation rates.

      The Student & Community Services Department may be contacted at (559) 898-6500 ext. 46516
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    • Jan. 31 school lockdown at Eric White; school safety information  

      Today a heartbreaking criminal act took the life of a Selma police officer. We send our deepest sympathies to the officer’s family and friends, and the Selma Police Department.

      As the incident unfolded, the Selma Police Department immediately called for the lockdown of Eric White Elementary School as a safety precaution, as it was a few blocks from the crime scene. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department immediately deployed armed tactical deputies to join Selma Police officers, to stand at and protect the school, its students and staff, and they remained there all afternoon.

      A lockdown requires students to remain in the classroom with their teachers, and the school gates are locked to prevent entry.

      We recognize that seeing deputies in tactical gear was upsetting to children, and we will have mental health clinicians available to Eric White students tomorrow and as long as needed. If Eric White parents wish to connect with mental health services, please let Eric White office staff know, or call 559-898-6500 ext. 41113.

      When the police direct a lockdown, we follow their orders. Our number one priority is keeping our students and families safe. We had a number of parents appear at the school’s locked gate to take their students home. As the lockdown was still active, we could not release the students. Anytime law enforcement calls for a school lockdown, we will comply.

      We communicated with Eric White families as we could, and that information continually changed as the afternoon went on and as we were getting updates from law enforcement. 

      When the lockdown was lifted, the police asked that we release the students in small groups or 20 or fewer, which we did and which took a long time as the school has more than 600 students. We know that parents were frustrated by this; however, we were following law enforcement directives to maximize student safety. The sheriff’s deputies remained on campus throughout the student release and into the early evening.

      As a result of the proactive lockdown, each and every Eric White student and staff member returned home safely. School will remain open tomorrow and for the rest of the week with mental health support available to students and staff.  

      We thank our Eric White Elementary teachers, leaders, classified staff and District personnel whose efforts helped the school follow law enforcement directives with safety as a priority. We appreciate all who were involved for their dedication to our students and staff.

      We also thank our law enforcement partners, including the Selma Police Department and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, for their quick, decisive response and vigilance in keeping our schools safe. In his afternoon news conference, Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcarez said that the safety of our schools was his top priority. We continually see this in action and are grateful for their commitment to Selma’s children.

      Finally, we are grateful for the law enforcement presence from the California Highway Patrol and police from Fresno, Kingsburg and Parlier who came to Selma to serve our community.