Dear Lieutenant Trujillo,

It is a pleasure having Deputy Scott Montoya at Walter School as we implement the Gang Reduction Intervention Program (G.R.I.P.).  He has been a regular presence since February 18th.  Already, he has been able to build rapport with students, staff and parents.  His ability to counsel students as he focuses them on making good choices has resulted in less behavior problems in the classroom.  With the increased accountability as students know that Deputy Montoya will be checking up on them on a regular basis has made many of our students become more reflective.

You could not have selected a better deputy to work with our various stakeholders.  Our teachers have commented that Scott has had a positive impact on the most troubled students.  Our teachers have appreciated Scott’s presence during parent meetings in which the focus has been on implementing positive reinforcements at home to help with discipline.  Our parents have commented on how much safer the campus feels due to Scott’s presence, especially during the morning hours and dismissal time.  During parent meetings such as ELAC and Coffee with the Principal, parents have thanked me for making school safety a priority by having Deputy Montoya on campus.

As principal, I appreciate the opportunity to be able to count on Scott as we confront issues of gang-like behavior on campus.  Even if he is at other schools, he is only a phone call away.  Just recently, we conducted the truancy sweeps.  Deputy District Attorney, Tracy Rinauro shared with me how instrumental Scott had been to help a parent de-escalate during the truancy sweep.  The parent recognized Scott as the deputy on campus at his son’s school.  Due to the rapport he had built with the student, the parent was willing to cooperate.

I wanted to thank you for your commitment to ensure we have safe schools even before the G.R.I.P. grant was awarded.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Nordyke, principal