WA OSPI candidates weigh in on school safety in wake of Georgia school shooting

(The Center Square) – In the wake of Wednesday's school shooting in Georgia that left four dead, The Center Square reached out to the two candidates for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for their reaction and positions on school security, including having armed school resource officers on campus.

Current Superintendent Chris Reykdal issued a news release in the aftermath of the Georgia tragedy.

“My heart is shattered for the victims of today’s tragedy and their families," he said. "School is supposed to be a safe place, where students learn and engage with their peers, and where educators and school staff do one of the most important jobs in the world. I’m proud of the steps we have taken in Washington state to reduce gun violence."

The news release goes on to mention laws passed by the Legislature in recent years in support of school safety.

“Every Washington school is required to have a threat assessment plan and a comprehensive school safety plan, and the Legislature has provided additional funding for the staff in schools dedicated to supporting students’ physical, social, and emotional health," Reykdal said.

Reykdal’s opponent in the Nov. 5 general election is Gig Harbor's Peninsula School District board member David Olson, who told The Center Square he supports having armed officers in all schools.

“Ours are former police officers, and they’re all armed,” Olson said. “So, if something happens like what happened Wednesday in Georgia, they can respond in time to help take out the shooter before any more harm is done.”

Olson explained that during COVID-19 pandemic, schools didn’t need resources officers in schools because of lockdowns, but when students returned, the board moved to get officers back onto campuses.

“They don’t wear uniforms because some people told me they were worried that uniformed officers in the halls could trigger a student,” Olson explained. “I think that’s unfortunate, as the whole point is to build trust. But ours are in plain clothes with bulletproof vests, and they wear their weapon in a holster on their hip.”

Olson said the district pays for the two resource officers thanks to a recently passed local levy.

“I think more school boards should adopt policies for resource officers, not just for safety but to rebuild trust in law enforcement," he noted.

Meanwhile, the Toppenish School District in Yakima County just changed its school security policy to no longer allow some staff members to carry concealed weapons.

For the last 10 years, up until last week, a small number of anonymous staff members and administrators in Toppenish school buildings were carrying a concealed firearm. Each was required to undergo extensive training and psychological screening.

A change in insurance protection sparked the policy change, according to Superintendent Dr. Toron Wooldridge, who was just hired by the district over the summer.

“This is my 47th day on the job, and when I initially took the position, I was told about an upcoming insurance policy that we needed to renew,” Wooldridge said. “The one we had before provided $5 million in umbrella coverage for staff members that were part of the safety team that were armed.”

He explained the new policy was reduced.

“It went to $1 million and then back up to $2.5 million, so if there was any type of situation it would only cover that much,” said Wooldridge, who told The Center Square that in speaking with those safety team members, it became clear the liability for them was too much with the reduced coverage.

“The team voted to not move forward,” he said. “When they all voted to not be a part of it, we reviewed our policy and brought it to the boards attention, and they retired that policy.”

Wooldridge says safety remains the district's top priority, and that resource officers who openly carry firearms remain in schools.

“They are uniformed, and they walk around campus checking entry points and carry weapons,” Wooldridge explained.

School districts across the state address security with different approaches. For example, in the Federal Way School District, there are armed resource officers in every high school.

"They are uniformed and openly carrying firearms to protect our students and staff and we take that very seriously," said Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. "What good is having a resource officer in the school to protect everyone if they are not armed?"

The Reykdal campaign emailed a statement in response to The Center Square seeking comment on armed officers in schools and received the following response.

“The State's funding model empowers local boards to hire school resource officers consistent with their local values," the Reykdal campaign said. "There is no national evidence however that having (or not having) armed resource officers deters active shooters."

It was two school resource officers – both armed with handguns – at Appalachee High School in Georgia who took the shooter into custody.