Better communication a key issue in improving school safety, locals say
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IDAHO FALLS — A discussion about guns wasn’t a part of Saturday’s Community Collaboration to find solutions to protecting Idaho schools.
Instead — the focus of the event was on communication and how to improve the dialogue between school districts, law enforcement and the media.
The event featured speakers from Idaho Falls School District 91, including students and faculty, representatives from the Idaho Falls Police Department and a local psychologist.
District 91 Secondary Education Director Sarah Sanders discussed the various emergency procedures local schools have in place and new procedures that are currently being tested. She also detailed what secure access is — a procedure that allows limited entry to schools via one entrance that requires the person wanting entry to be buzzed in.
One of the issues brought up with secure access, is the difficulty of knowing how to handle an emergency already inside the school where emergency responders need to enter the school quickly.
Students from Idaho Falls High School said one of the biggest issues they face is communication in the event of an emergency. They cited the postcard incident in March, where a postcard with a stock image of an AR-15 rifle and the words “Coming to a school Near you?” was sent to a local parent in Idaho Falls. Initially, the message was treated by law enforcement as a threat, but police later determined it was sent by an elderly resident as a political message.
Students said a good deal of fear was caused by rumors and unverified information regarding the incident. They requested better communication between school faculty and students to avoid such incidents in the future.
Idaho Falls Police Department Capt. Bill Squires addressed the concerns of the students by reassuring the public law enforcement does not hold back information and works to make sure correct information is quickly communicated.
“We’ve got a great relationship with School District 91,” Squires said. “We try to train with them as much as possible.”
Locals Scott and Natalie Adams attended the event. They said they have four children who attend school in District 91.
“I think it’s very informative — eye-opening,” Natalie said. “I just wish there were more people here to get involved.”
About 50 people attended the Community Collaboration.
Adam said he was happy the event was held. They both said they believed the event was a beneficial step towards protecting Idaho schools.
One of the speakers, local psychologist Matthew Larson spoke about the fact that students are safe. With thousands of public schools throughout the country and a handful of school shootings a year it is highly unlikely for a school shooting to happen in Idaho Falls. However, he said it is absolutely important to help students feel safe.
“You don’t just have to be safe, you have to feel safe,” Larson said. “Anxiety keeps us from doing that which we enjoy.”
He explained that there is not just one reason for school shootings, neither is there just one solution to keeping students safe and helping them feel safe. He said it’s important to find the right balance of safety procedures to allow people to feel safe but also allow them to live their daily lives.
“Today’s collaboration left me very hopeful and with an immense amount of pride for our Idaho Falls community,” event organizer Shelane Tuttle said. “It was a privilege to work with so many of our local influencers, as well as parents and students, and listen to each of them.”
She said she felt the biggest theme of the event was better communication throughout the community.