Woodward: Armed staff option is off the table

SANDPOINT — A proposal to arm select Lake Pend Oreille School District staff is effectively off the table, according to Superintendent Shawn Woodward.  

The announcement follows the response from last week’s school board meeting, during which the school board empowered Woodward to explore school security options. The superintendent will then present the options he thinks are best to the board. Based on his belief that arming school staff isn’t an effective approach to school security, Woodward said he’s working to explore other options with the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are not yet finished with the issue of school safety,” Woodward said. “No one solution has yet been selected for recommendation to the board.”

According to trustee chairman Steve Youngdahl, who originally proposed the measure in late September, this doesn’t necessarily mean the proposal of armed teachers is entirely off the table — it simply isn’t an option under investigation at this time. However, Woodward said he would have to receive explicit direction from the board to pursue the matter before it would be back under discussion.

That could be a difficult hurdle to clear based on the divisive nature of the proposal. For one thing, there’s no consensus of support from the school board, and two trustees have already publicly announced opposition to the idea. For another, district staff are overwhelmingly opposed as well.

According to a presentation by Brian Smith of the Lake Pend Oreille Education Association, only 8 percent of teachers and certified staff were in favor of armed staff. Similarly, only 14 percent of classified employees supported the proposal. Finally, Woodward himself recommended the board not pursue armed staff as a security measure at the Oct. 8 board meeting.

The armed staff proposal remains a source of intense controversy, with fervent supporters and opponents alike. A public comment opportunity on Oct. 8, for instance, attracted slightly more individuals in favor of the idea than against it. On the other hand, Woodward said most of the comments he’s received have been in opposition to the idea. Some residents even decided to launch a recall effort against Youngdahl.  

In the meantime, Woodward is exploring other security-enhancing options with local law enforcement. These ideas include a potential volunteer program and the commissioning of a school resource officer from the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. Modeled after the SRO based in Sandpoint — a position paid through about $41,000 of district money — this officer would address issues in areas like Clark Fork, which suffer from lengthy emergency response times.

“Throughout all this, I’ve been very impressed with the Sandpoint Police Department and Bonner County Sheriff,” Woodward said. “Their expertise and support has been invaluable.”