Back to School: Local schools are making student safety a high priority

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — In the wake of rising safety concerns, schools across the nation, and here in the community, are implementing measures to keep their school safe. Access control systems and resource officers are stationed at the entrance to ensure only students and faculty are entering the building.

“We have resource officers from Twin Falls PD that are in different middle schools and high schools, so that has helped to fill the gaps,” Lt. Craig Stotts said.

The officers are placed around the different school districts to add safety precautions and measurements if needed. The police and school districts must work hand in hand to ensure the overall safety of students

“We have a super supportive community that allows us to have a great partnership with the school district and bounce things off one another,” Twin Falls school resource officer Arron Nay said. “We’ll continue to collaborate and be on a mission with a really good team.”

The school districts will also have monthly safety meetings to ensure the best care for their students, whether in or outside of the classroom.

“It’s not just administrators, it’s also counselors, social workers, behavioral mental health workers that are integral to that process because we know prevention is the number one leverage point that we have. Blaine County School District Superintendent Jim Foudy said.

Beyond physical safety, schools are increasingly recognizing the importance of mental health support for students. Counseling centers are becoming commonplace, offering students a safe space to discuss their concerns.

“It’s also school safety is helping students to feel secure, help them with their mental health, and to provide programs and systems and put those in place.” Director of operations of Twin Falls school district Ryan Bowman said.

It’s evident that schools are taking crucial steps to not only enhance safety but also mental health support for students. By investing in these measurements, schools across the community can feel much safer.

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