Summary
The Seal Beach Police Department finished the first year of a school program called the Safety Seal Program. It ran at McGaugh Elementary School during the 2025-2026 school year. About 680 students took part in three sessions, held in November, March, and May. Instead of sitting through a talk, students learned by doing. Police officers and staff ran the school's PE classes and set up activity stations. In November students learned about traffic, bike, and pedestrian safety, including helmets, seatbelts, crosswalks, and what to do when a police car or ambulance turns on its lights and sirens. In March students learned when to call 9-1-1 and what to tell the dispatcher, and practiced using a real police car radio. In May students learned about exercise, nutrition, sleep, and healthy choices, and tried a fitness challenge. A SWAT team brought its armored BearCat rescue vehicle to campus for students to see. Forty-five department employees and volunteers helped, close to two-thirds of the whole department. Every student received a blue Safety Seal T-shirt, paid for by four police associations and the McGaugh PTA. McGaugh was the first elementary school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District to run a program like this, and the Department plans to continue it.