By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
After the shooting threat at Raton High School last week the school district held a parent meeting at Tiger Gym Monday September 23, 2024, to inform those in attendance about the threat and what the district did to keep students and staff safe.
Raton Superintendent Kristi Medina spoke about the event that occurred last Tuesday. She told the crowd that students had reported the post who then told teachers, and it was taken to High School Principal Jolene Starr. After a short conversation a shelter in place protocol was put in effect and shortly after that the school was upgraded to a full lock down status. Law Enforcement then took over command of the situation and began the process of clearing the school. As things began to settle down students began to talk, and names of students were revealed that should be looked at. During that process parents were notified come to the school for the interviews. Over 360 back packs were searched by school staff. As a result of the search, no weapons were found not even a pocketknife noted Medina.
Medina noted that there was talk that the school was trying to cover up or sweep things under the rug because it took so long to get information which was totally false. She noted that it takes time to deal with that number of students and yes, they were in lock down for a long time. She noted that all students needed to be accounted for even the students that were out of school and those coop students who were off campus. Once students were allowed to be released they could only be released to the responsible parent or guardian.
Medina said the district had been planning with law enforcement and other organizatrions for two years to be prepared for this type of event. She noted things need to be improved and the district will continue to work with law enforcement to make those improvements.
Raton Police Chief John Garcia noted that the building is very big and took time to search and secure. As part of the threat, it was noted that a diversion strategy was part of the plan and as a result all students were kept within the building which is a better way to control the situation and not allow that diversion to take place.
Snap Chat told Raton PD that the user profile was not a valid profile which has complicated the search for the person responsible for the post. There was word that the students involved had been released but that was totally false. There were a large number of students that were interviewed and when those students finished their interviews those students were allowed to be released to their parents.
Medina noted the district has been training with the incident command system. As part of that protocol Raton PD took over the situation with staff and PD officers moving into their assigned positions.
Medina spoke about the protocols the district has in place with the first being a shelter in place protocol that is designed to contain students to their classrooms. This is done for a number of different types of situations. It keeps students out of the hallways in case EMS or other staff need to move through the hallways and is for the protection of all students. The total lockdown is the strictest level of confinement. This is done in a case as the other day when a threat is unknown, and students need to be kept safe as possible.
Should the students involved in this incident be discovered then they will be dealt with accordingly. Those students will not be allowed back in the school system and the district will help as much as they can with mental health issues and such for those students.
It was asked why metal detectors have not been installed at the school. They are expensive and if something was discovered there needs to be someone on the other side to be able to deal with a weapon should it be found. The number of students that would have to be dealt with entering the school also makes the issue more difficult.
Clear backpacks are not a total solution to the problem it is meant as a deterrent. Things can still be hidden but it is something that needs to be looked at. Students don’t want to use their lockers for various reasons and will carry their backpacks everywhere thus the need for teachers to be able to see what the students are carrying.
She noted that the Stopit app is another tool that can be used to report problems. Students have used it to report problems, and the parents are encouraged to use the app as well.
Cell Phones are another problem in the classroom as a distraction not only to learning but also to keep student’s attention. The district doesn’t want to take phones away from students and are hoping parents will take a stronger stance to watch what apps students are using and posting to.
A school resource officer is not possible at this time the city will investigate the funding needed to provide an officer. There was a resource officer at one time that was paid for by a grant, but that grant has expired and there wasnt any others to take over the cost not to mention the department during that time became extremely short staffed. Currently officers do come by the schools and make a walk through on occasion.
Medina took questions after her remarks. One question, what changes will the district take to move forward with to make students safe and to prevent this from happening again. Threats will come and they will be dealt with as best the district and law enforcement can. Communications is one of the areas that Medina notes needs to be improved and they will work to do that in the future.
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