School district to hire additional security officer

PONDERAY — With safety at the forefront of stakeholder priorities, Lake Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer said she was excited to announce the addition of another campus security officer.

The post, funded by the Panhandle Alliance for Education at the request of the district, will allow for an officer to cover Southside, Sagle and Washington elementary schools. 

“Adding this elementary campus security officer is going to be great,” Meyer told trustees at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Currently two officers cover the entire district, with one focusing on Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School, and Hope, Northside, and Kootenai elementary schools; and the other focusing on the remaining district schools in the Sandpoint area.

The armed security officers were hired in August 2023 as part of an effort to secure a safer future for the district. Plans to hire the new officer have been in the works since then with Meyer announcing at the time that the district would eventually be looking for an officer to cover the two southernmost elementary schools. 

The assignments allow for added security at the district’s more remote schools, officials said.

“One benefit to moving toward armed security officers is that they have jurisdiction across the district if needed,” Meyer said at the time. 

Interviews will take place May 30 and the new officer will hopefully be introduced at one of the upcoming board meetings, she said. However, a rigorous process must take place before the officer is officially hired. 

Meyer said the hiring process includes a background check, a psychological evaluation, reviews of qualifications and fitness level, among other components.