Schools want police partners in evaluating threats

Spokane police will be asked to take a greater role in evaluating student threats in Spokane Public Schools, district officials said Wednesday.

And the risk assessment for troubled students trying to re-enter schools will be re-evaluated.

At Wednesday night’s board meeting, Associate Superintendent Nancy Stowell explained district changes prompted by the March 24 incident when former Ferris High School student Jacob Carr, 14, was arrested near the school with a gun. Police say Carr told them he had come close to a teacher he wanted to shoot, but left instead.

“Our No. 1 priority in school is the safety of our staff and students,” Stowell said. “This partnership with the police department will give us additional information and expertise when it comes to trying to analyze a threat.”

Students reapplying to enter school after being suspended for disruptive behavior are often required to go through a risk assessment. The district plans to review how those assessments are conducted and whether a psychological evaluation should be added.

“We understand that most students who undergo a risk assessment are found not to be a danger to themselves or others at the time the assessment is completed,” Stowell said. The additional psychological exam would provide a more thorough look, she said.

Schools officials will meet next week with a Spokane Mental Health doctor who works with childhood disorders. The idea is to help school officials better handle mental health problems, Stowell said.

She reminded the board of an $8.3 million federal grant that Spokane Public Schools received in partnership with five other county school districts. The “Safe Schools/Healthy Students” grant is intended to help reduce school violence and improve student access to mental health services. The grant includes money to hire two part-time violence prevention specialists, positions now being advertised.

Stowell said that no records are kept of students who are booted from one school and then allowed to return to another, as was the case with Carr.

“We are the public school and before we deny students the opportunity for an education, we need to be certain there is no alternative solution,” Stowell said.