West Ada School District's protocols when they find or receive a threat to student safety
MERIDIAN, Idaho — Weeks into the school year, school districts in the Treasure Valley received several threats to student safety.
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The West Ada School District has safety systems in place when they find or receive a threat to student safety.
"We have open communication. We assess the threat, and the content, and then you know hopefully get to the bottom of it. Find the source and determine it is really a threat, or 'was it a credible threat?'," said Geoff Stands – Director of Safety and Behavior, WASD.
Any threat to student safety is taken seriously. Law enforcement at city and state levels can be involved in tracing the threat and determining the right moves to neutralize the issue. Depending on the level of disruption to learning, students who make threats could face suspension and expulsion even if the threat is a hoax.
"And on top of that they can have charges filed against them, and that can be a misdemeanor all the way up to a felony," said Stands.
Partnering with local law enforcement agencies like Boise and Meridian Police, there are roughly 30 School Resources Officers and their supervisors throughout West Ada campuses.
They work together to coordinate drills and emergency plans, create healthy relationships with students, and secure campus boundaries.
"They are valuable for us, you don't realize it until you don't have them," said Stands.
Ada County Sheriff's Office Deputies ensure safety on school campuses in cities, like Star and Eagle, that don't have city police.
The school district was recently awarded a grant to employ another SRO in that area of the county.
"So we'll have an additional resource officer in Eagle/Star serving those elementary schools specifically," said Stands.
Stands says there is a solid climate for reporting suspicious behavior and students know who they can talk to and have several resources to report concerns or potential threats like their app 'See Tell Now'.
