Twin Fall School District discusses implementing ‘armed security guards’ in schools
The school district’s administration want to add 10 armed security members to the staff for the upcoming 2022-23 school year.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — In the wake of multiple mass shootings, including one at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 students and two teachers, schools around the country are prioritizing more security and safety in buildings, including Twin Falls School District.
The school board was presented with a proposal for the district administration to expand armed security guards within their school buildings.
“It’s to make sure that all of our schools are covered all of the time with somebody who is trained in the skills to be able to do something if a situation may occur. Hopefully, we never see that around here, but it’s one of those things that we have to be prepared for,” Twin Falls School District Director of Operations Ryan Bowman said.
During Bowman’s 22 years in education, he has seen drastic changes when it comes to security services and safety in schools.
“I think about buildings that were built in our school district in the 1970s and there was no thought about security, whatsoever,” said Bowman. “Schools were deemed safe places, nobody worried about it and today when we build schools or when we do renovations on schools, that’s one of the top priorities. To make sure whatever we’re going to do, it’s improving security for our students.”