MERIDIAN, Idaho — The start of the school year can bring anxiety and other fears to the surface. Not just about tests and new teachers, but also about school safety.
School resource officers across the Valley gather at Mountain View High School to train for 'Active Shooting Scenarios' and learn how they can stop threats on campus.
Garden City resident Lindy Hoyt says that after becoming a parent, she learned that gun violence is the number one killer of children.
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“I think about it every single day,” says Hoyt. “It has me very concerned, I feel it’s an urgent matter and it’s something that I want to be a part of and be a part of the change in our local communities.”
That need for change led her to volunteer with Be Smart, a non-profit organization pushing for secure firearm storage in the home.
Hoyt feels gun owners keeping their firearms secure and out of the wrong hands may be more effective than lockdown drills.
“Really promoting keeping firearms secure and away from children and those at risk of suicide and homicide,” says Hoyt.
Sergeant Morgan Carters is the Team Supervisor For Meridian School Resources Officers.
Carter says their drills are executed based on past incidents and are always evolving to be more effective.
“We’re not out to scare any of the kids or the admin, we’re just trying to build repetition with them, so we can all work together on those worst-case scenarios. Because unfortunately, or fortunately, the kids play a role in it as well, as well as the teachers, law enforcement, admins at the school, and the community,” says Carter.
Law enforcement and parents can all agree on the need for more honest conversations about gun safety.
“We want them to take it seriously, it’s a benefit for them, and I would just hope that parents would have that conversation with them,” says Carter.
Be Smart partners with our local police departments and also has the ability to be on school campuses to educate the community.
