Safety steps welcome, but not the final answer

Kalispell Public Schools has hired a private security firm to patrol its high school and middle school campuses in an effort to address gaps exposed in a 2022 safety audit.

The school board approved the contract with Talos Security on Jan. 13, and personnel are expected on-site through the end of the school year. The Kalispell Police Department’s school resource officer program will remain in place.

The plan was endorsed by Police Chief Jordan Venezio, who said the assistance of Talos will help create a more secure learning environment.

In today’s lockdown era of “run, hide, fight,” where students and staff regularly train for school threats and active-shooter scenarios, an added layer of protection is prudent. Trained school resource officers should remain the main conduit for safety protocol, but allowing them to work in concert with Talos personnel adds to the police department’s layered approach to security.

“When everyone works together, our schools are safer,” Venezio told the board.

The district’s 2022 safety audit has understandably remained an internal document, so we must trust that administrators and police officials are confident this new approach is the best step toward enhanced safety.

Yet the board approved this new strategy without fully defining how Talos personnel will operate, and the public deserves to know those answers.

Vital questions linger about how, or if, security personnel will be allowed to engage with students. School resource officers are trained in appropriate student interactions that build trust. We should know whether Talos Security will be held to that same standard, or if the firm’s personnel will take a less engaged role.

We also don’t know how they will be armed. Will they carry guns, Tasers or pepper spray?

The district should be forthright with staff and parents about what this new partnership will look like. Offer maximum transparency and trust will follow.

But above all, the board should press the district on its long-term plan to address the underlying issues that might lead to school threats, violence and other safety concerns.

Bringing on private security is reactive. The board must begin to probe proactive measures, such as deepening the roster of school counselors or school resource officers who might be able to head off problems with mental health, bullying and aggressive behaviors before they materialize.

Counselors and SROs can identify students who need a check-in and facilitate mediation programs that foster a safer environment. They are well trained in crisis assessments and intervention, and in building relationships throughout the school that lead to better student outcomes.

Everyone agrees school safety is a priority, and additional security personnel to head off an immediate crisis is a helpful layer to meet that goal. But it’s not the final answer for an issue that continues to concern parents, staff and students. Trustees must press for safety assurances that go beyond roaming patrols.