Idaho schools look to boost security in wake of shootings

NAMPA, Idaho – Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra is preparing to pitch a $21 million school safety initiative – Keep Idaho Students Safe, or KISS – to the Legislature in January.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reported the initiative would, among other things, allocate $25,500 to every school in the state for security purposes, said Matt McCarter, the state’s director of student engagement.

Ybarra initially wanted the plan to focus on anti-bullying and suicide prevention efforts, but after this year’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, she added a proposal centered on school security.

The $25,500 each district would receive for every school under Ybarra’s proposal is expected to especially help rural schools without full-time security personnel to hire employees for that purpose.

The Kuna School District and smaller school districts, such as in Melba, recently made their own efforts to increase security personnel.