Platte Canyon School officials are reviewing safety and crisis plans to determine if more can be done to keep their campuses safe, Superintendent Jim Walpole said today.
“In that review, we will involve staff and parents, community members and our law enforcement agencies on how to make our school grounds as safe as possible,” Walpole said. “Right now, steps are being taken for that safety, including the hiring of security personnel in our schools.”
Every adult who enters school grounds has to have a name badge and there will be increased supervision in the hallways.
The area of campus where the shooting took place will be sealed off for the rest of the year, he said. Mental health workers and extra substitute teachers will be on hand as school goes back in session on Thursday so that everyone feels secure.
Safety plans before the shooting were reviewed by school officials and the sheriff and fire departments on a monthly and quarterly basis, Walpole said.
The superintendent commended the response to last week's school shooting, saying the crisis plan that was in place was effective in saving many lives, even though they lost 16-year-old Emily Keyes.
“Obviously we have failed in that we have lost a student, we feel good in that we had many students that did survive,” Walpole said. “We will never forget Emily and what happened here last week. While we continue to mourn, we are turning our focus to healing and providing a safe, caring and educational environment to our students.”
Part of that healing process is trying to return to some level of normalcy.Today, the school was holding a home football game on campus dedicated to Emily.
“We view that all of our student activities, involving the kids and getting them together is important toward the healing process,” Walpole said.
