Shooter hoax proves need to add security in Kennewick schools. Levy renewal is critical

While last week’s shooting scare at Southridge High School turned out to be a sick prank, the terror it inflicted was very real.

For nearly two hours students hid inside the building, hoping not to attract attention if there truly was a shooter lurking in the hallways.

Outside, parents waited anxiously for news. Whatever plans they had for the day didn’t matter. They wouldn’t leave until they knew their children were safe.

The threat also put two other nearby Kennewick schools in a precautionary lockdown — Sage Crest Elementary School and Chinook Middle School — which added to parent fears.

In the end, the threat turned out to be a hoax — one that apparently had been playing out across the country, including at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane and at schools in New Jersey and Oklahoma.

Kennewick police received a call just before noon on Dec. 9 that there was an active shooter at Southridge and that was all it took.

Law enforcement officers from throughout the Tri-Cities swarmed the high school campus. Once there, they had to assume the call was legitimate and they searched classroom by classroom for a suspect with a gun.

Fortunately, they didn’t find anyone.

But just because no one was injured or killed doesn’t mean everything is OK.

Everything is not OK when there are people in the world who get some kind of twisted pleasure from scaring kids and teachers and families — not to mention wasting precious police time and resources.

Kennewick Commander Aaron Clem said the incident is a “good reminder that this could happen at any time based on what’s happening across the country” and that “we have to stay vigilant. We have to be ready to respond to something like this at any time.”

Sadly, he’s right.

If anything, the scare backs up the Kennewick School District’s plan to add 21 new officers starting next school year.

Currently, there are only five school resource officers (SROs) serving at Kennewick high schools and middle schools — so the proposal would make a significant difference by adding SROs where there currently are none — mostly in the elementary schools.

This is a partnership that Kennewick police have been keen to make happen. They want more school resource officers working with students.

The officers are there to add protection, sure, but their presence also can have a positive influence on kids. And that can go a long way to making kids feel safe at school and also encouraging them to steer clear of trouble.

But this great plan won’t happen unless there is enough money to pay for it, which means citizens need to pass the levy next February.

This will be the third try for the Kennewick School District after voters denied two previous levy renewal requests this year.

The school district is managing to get through this school year using reserves and one-time federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, which were designated under the American Rescue Plan Act.

The thing about the ESSER money is that it is not meant to be part of the operating budget. It’s meant to be an infusion to help offset the extra costs that were associated with managing COVID — like extra nurses and personal protective equipment (PPE) — as well as boost resources to address the learning loss caused by the pandemic lockdown.

Some citizens may think that since school districts received ESSER money, they don’t need levy money.

Not true. ESSER money runs out.

School operating budgets need local levy money as a reliable funding source year after year.

Both Kennewick and Finley school districts need local taxpayers to step up and approve their upcoming levy requests. Otherwise, budget cuts will be deeper and more painful.

And in the Kennewick School District, the plan to add more school resource officers will have to wait.

While last week’s shooting scare was horrible, perhaps it can serve as a terrifying wake-up call. Come February, we hope voters think on that.