THOUSAND OAKS : Forum Scheduled on School Violence

Still frightened by last week’s shooting of three Westlake High School students, Thousand Oaks leaders will hold a public forum at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to discuss school safety.

Richard Simpson, an assistant superintendent of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, will present details of the district’s crime-prevention efforts and answer questions from the council and the public. The session is scheduled for 5 p.m. in City Hall.

Councilman Frank Schillo had proposed the forum even before Thursday’s incident, in which three students were shot when they gathered to watch a prearranged fistfight in North Ranch Park. The violence in Westlake only added to his anxiety, Schillo said.

“I’d like to know what the schools are doing to prevent this kind of thing,” Schillo said. Several parents have called him, he added, complaining that they fear sending their children to Thousand Oaks classrooms.

Although she welcomed the presentation, Councilwoman Judy Lazar said she did not expect to hear answers to the growing problem of teen-age violence.

The fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old outside a Simi Valley junior high last week, coupled with the North Ranch Park incident, demonstrates that teen-age rivalries can lead to bloodshed even in the nation’s safest cities, she said.