Parents and neighbors are keeping extra eyes on a rural campus in the Orcutt Union School District as part of a new program to quell vandalism.

Olga Reed Elementary in Los Alamos recently launched a “School Watch” program after dealing with a few bouts of vandalism and graffiti on the small campus about 17 miles southeast of Orcutt.

The program is very similar to a local neighborhood watch, according to Joe Dana, principal at Olga Reed and director of the district’s charter programs.

Volunteer parents and nearby neighbors are walking the often-visited campus — adjacent to Los Alamos Park — after hours and on the weekends looking for anything amiss.

“The Los Alamos community is used to being on campus after hours,” Dana said. “That’s all great. Every school has kind of a park-like function.

“If they happen to see anything inappropriate, they are told they need to call the county Sheriff’s Department. Their job is just to keep an eye on the campus.”

Dana said “School Watch” is a safety precaution Orcutt schools have used in the past, such as when he was a principal at Ralph Dunlap Elementary.

Volunteers are not supposed to intervene during in-progress situations in any way, he added.

Parent members of Olga Reed’s school site council came up with the idea after seeing an increase in graffiti, although Dana did not talk about specific incidents.

Three volunteers have signed up so far, and anyone else interested can contact Dana at 805.344.2401 or jdana@orcutt-schools.net.

“It’s three more (people) than we had a few months ago,” Dana said. “The idea that you have people keeping an eye on your campus is just common sense.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.