Local News
Gun violence, bomb scare focus ASD’s attention on school safety
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
School safety is in the spotlight after two recent events in Utah County, which have renewed concerns among parents and students about how prepared schools are to respond to emergencies and how information is shared during a crisis.
In September, the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University triggered “Secure” safety protocols at five Alpine School District schools. In October, a bomb scare at American Fork High School led to a complete evacuation of the school.
While no sweeping changes have been implemented solely because of those events, Alpine School District (ASD) leaders say several new safety measures have been implemented districtwide this year.
“It’s always a good reminder of what the existing expectations are throughout our schools,” said Joe Hayes, Alpine School District’s Director of Operations.
One of the most visible security measures across Alpine schools is the locked-door policy. Every exterior door in all ASD schools is required to remain locked, with entry typically restricted to a single monitored front entrance. Hayes said there has been a push this year to make sure all schools follow this security standard.
“It’s a districtwide policy that all school exterior doors are to remain locked,” Hayes explained. “High schools pose a particular challenge because there are so many doors and students come and go for a variety of reasons throughout the day, but I really feel like they’ve done a much better job of keeping schools secured and limiting who’s coming in and out.”
Hayes added that schools have implemented systems to manage these challenges, such as electronic timers and video monitoring at key doors during class transitions, especially when students move between buildings for programs like seminary.
Hayes acknowledged that while locked doors may create a minor inconvenience for parents and students, they significantly improve safety and control over who enters school buildings.
ASD has also made significant progress in implementing push-button door locks in classrooms and student areas, in compliance with state legislation. These locks allow teachers and staff to secure rooms during an active threat situation quickly.
“Compliance is almost universal in the district,” Hayes said. “Where the push-button locks aren’t available, we ensure doors are locked and can be quickly secured. It allows us to protect student spaces very quickly.”
A significant new addition to ASD’s safety infrastructure this year is the implementation of the Guardian Program, a state-mandated initiative that directs trained, armed volunteers to serve within schools. Hayes said the program has been successfully launched districtwide, with close cooperation between ASD and local law enforcement agencies, including the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
“We have armed volunteers in our schools,” Hayes explained. “They’ve been trained and are ready to respond to potential active threats within our schools.”
ASD is also complying with new state legislation requiring gun safety education at both elementary and secondary levels. Instruction is provided in elementary grades 2, 4, and 6, and in secondary grades 8 and 10, using state-provided resources to ensure consistent, age-appropriate instruction.
The lessons, taught by classroom or health teachers, focus on basic gun safety and what students should do if they encounter a firearm. “They primarily emphasize that students should not touch it and should immediately inform a trusted adult if they see or hear about someone having a firearm,” said Hayes.
According to Rich Stowell, the district’s communications representative, one key area of improvement has been enhancing coordination with law enforcement, particularly in clarifying communication with parents during emergencies.
“We identified an opportunity to improve our communication with law enforcement to make it clearer to parents which schools will be secured in the event of an emergency,” Stowell said.
Hayes said the district’s new communication system is particularly important during an emergency because information from students via cell phone is often misunderstood or incorrect.
“If a school goes into a ‘secure’ protocol, but a student tells parents it’s a ‘lockdown’, those are two very different things, and so sometimes student info is not accurate,” said Hayes. “We have the difficult balance of keeping parents informed and helping everyone feel secure and in touch as parents and students.”
Every school in the district now has a designated safety specialist on school staff who oversees safety initiatives and serves as a point of contact for staff, students, and parents.
“We’re grateful to have individuals in each building with a focused lens on safety,” Hayes said. “Their job is to keep everyone aware of district and state policies and make sure safety remains front and center.”
“We’re always learning and growing,” he said. “There’s always an opportunity to improve, but I’m proud of the hard work our schools are doing to keep students and staff safe.”
