Crisis in the Classroom: Garden Valley working toward keeping school safe

GARDEN VALLEY, Idaho (CBS2) — As school starts back up, safety is at the top of a lot of parents' minds.

On Aug. 15, the Garden Valley School District started classes, and for Superintendent Randy Thompson, safety is of top priority.

"Just like we are in the business of educating our school children, we also recognize the importance of educating ourselves on the issues that are important in today's world. One of them is school safety," Thompson said.

Since 2014, Garden Valley has allowed its staff to have guns on campus.

"The school board had adopted a policy that allows the use of weapons on campus to defend and promote safety as needed," Thompson said.

Thompson said with recent school shootings they're not taking any chances.

"We recognize that from time to time there could be a threat to our school, to our staff to our faculty, and we want to be prepared to address that."

The school has taken other precautions to keep its students safe such as keeping its doors closed and monitoring all visitors that come in and out.

Garden Valley has nearly 300 kids from Kindergarten to 12th grade. All students must communicate with teachers about where they are going after school, and teachers won't allow students to leave with an adult unless they know who they are.

Thompson said while nothing can ever really prepare you for a school shooting, they do their best to make sure everyone is safe.

"We feel the need to constantly educate ourselves on those things that we can do to ensure the safety of everyone within the walls of Garden Valley schools," Thompson said.

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