Pocatello police, school district respond to two school threats deemed ‘non-credible’

POCATELLO — Pocatello police responded to and investigated reported threats at two local schools Wednesday but determined both were not credible.

Due to the need for police-involved investigations, the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 posted a statement to its website Thursday morning.

“Threats against schools or individuals understandably incite rumors and fear throughout our school communities. Maintaining the safety and well-being of our learners and staff is our highest priority,” the statement reads in part. “Please know, too, that we take all threats seriously and work in tandem with law enforcement to do our due diligence to determine the credibility of a threat.”

According to district spokeswoman Courtney Fisher, any threat made against a school, student or staff triggers swift response and administrators and teachers “immediately initiate steps to address” those threats, she told EastIdahoNews.com.

Responding to threats is a balancing act between taking those threats seriously while not inciting undue panic.

Threats are received “frequently,” she added, and all are taken seriously.

“We immediately go into motion. Then we just try to make the decisions as quickly as possible and loop in every stakeholder along the way at the appropriate point,” Fisher said. “Most of them are deemed non-credible pretty quickly.”

The first step in responding to any threat is relaying the threat to an administrator at the school where the threat was made. The administrator then contacts the district and the student resource officer — or SRO.

SROs are members of police departments assigned to monitor schools.

All Pocatello high schools have dedicated SROs, who stay on campus throughout the school day. Some middle and elementary schools have shared SROs, who cover multiple campuses by rotating between them throughout the day.

The SRO is the first line in identifying the credibility of a threat.

“The SRO works with school administration and district administration to isolate the incident, talk to the parents … then they go from there,” Fisher said. “We have full faith in our relationship and partnership with local law enforcement, they’re amazing.”

Once a threat is turned over to the SRO, it then becomes the SROs task to identify the credibility of the threat and decide if further police involvement is necessary. If police involvement is deemed necessary, the district and schools then take their commands from the officers involved.

From there, any required response from the school and district is directed by the Idaho Standard Command Responses for Schools. The ISCRS consists of four command responses — hall check, lock down, evacuation and reverse evacuation.

You can learn more about the ISCRS and the four responses here.

While the district could not provide any details about Wednesday’s threats, Fisher did say that both were deemed “unsubstantiated” and “non-credible.”

Fisher added that all schools in the district run monthly drills on threat response and standard safety protocols.

“In today’s world, we’re always thinking of how we can enhance our safety,” she said.

In its release — which can be found here — the district provided parents with tips for responding to possible threats.

• Be wary of initial reports. Information moves quickly today and often initial reports are inaccurate or just plain wrong. Watch for updates from official sources.
• Watch for updates from official district sources. The district will share information as quickly as possible using a variety of tools, including texts, emails, the district’s website, the district’s automated calling system, social media outlets and local media such as newspaper, TV and radio.
• Be patient. The first few minutes of an emergency situation can be chaotic. It can take a little time to collect reliable information. As soon as that information is available, the district will share it with parents.
• Keep communications with your child short. It is natural for parents to want to get in touch with their child(ren) during an emergency. However, trying to call a child’s cell phone may prevent them from hearing important, life-saving information. Texting may be a better option, but keep the exchanges short. Before an emergency, talk to your child(ren) about what kind of information is helpful to share in these situations. For example, “I am safe” or “We’re being evacuated.”