School board to vote on abuse policy
At its meeting on Thursday, the Board of Education will vote on a revised policy for the reporting of child abuse allegations in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. A committee composed of district officials and parents has been working on creating a new policy since the May arrest of Lincoln Middle School teacher Thomas Beltran for allegedly sexually molesting female students at the school.
Among the features of the revised policy is the requirement that district employees suspecting child abuse notify the school principal, and that the principal notify the superintendent. It was revealed shortly after Beltran’s arrest that an allegation had been made against him in 2006, but was not reported to the superintendent.
Also at the meeting, the board will vote on the hiring of Bekah Dannelley and Brian Murray as special education coordinators.
Special education has been a controversial issue in the district recently. Its perceived poor condition by some led to the Santa Monica City Council last year refusing to increase the city’s annual contribution to the district until changes were made, including an end to confidentiality agreements on special education plans for students and that an audit on the department be done. The district has complied with both those requests, but the $530,000 has still not been given to the district. At its meeting on Tuesday night after The Malibu Times went to print, the council was expected to hear from district officials on the state of the Special Education Department.
Fire station remodel proposed
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is planning to remodel Station 71 in Point Dume. A one-paragraph project description was released last week in connection with the beginning of a public review period. However, the county Department of Public Works, which is named as the lead agency for the project, only sent a sketch to The Malibu Times when asked for further information beyond the brief description.
The project calls for the expansion of the station from 2,257 square feet to 5,350 square feet, including the expansion of the living quarters from 1,277 square feet to 3,500 square feet. Six individual dorms, separate shower facilities for female and male staff, and a new restroom would be created. The apparatus bay, where the vehicles are stored, would be increased from 980 square feet to 1,850 square feet to accommodate a new fire engine, a fire truck and a paramedic squad car.
The project would need a coastal development permit from the city. Fire officials could not be reached for this story.
Hang glider causes small brush fire
A man using a motorized hang glider crashed just west of Bluffs Park last week on Wednesday morning, causing a small brush fire. About 50 firefighters were called to the scene, who put out the quarter-acre blaze in approximately one hour. The unidentified man was treated for second-degree burns and sent to a local hospital, but fire officials said they did not believe the injuries were life threatening.
Man drowns at state park
A 20-year-old Inglewood man died Saturday afternoon after drowning at Malibu Creek State Park. According to published reports, Ulices Israel Valladares had been swinging on a rope and jumping into the water with friends. Following one jump, he did not resurface. He was pronounced dead at 12:40 p.m.
PCH closures
The California Department of Transportation is closing one lane of Pacific Coast Highway in alternating directions at spot locations from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Thursday between Cross Creek Road and the McClure Tunnel. The closures are part of the major repaving project.
Emergency response training to be offered in the fall
The city of Malibu, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, will offer training for the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, in September and October. The free course headed by Emergency Services Coordinator Brad Davis teaches a variety of skills, with graduates becoming certified to be part of the official CERT effort during an emergency. The course will take place in seven sessions from Sept. 10 to Oct. 29 at City Hall.
Those interested in signing up can contact Davis at 310.456.2489 ext. 260 or by e-mail at bdavis@ci.malibu.ca.us.
-Jonathan Friedman