As part of its continuing efforts to provide the safest and most secure learning environments possible, the Shawnee Mission School District’s police department is mounting an effort to promote gun safety within the homes of students. Giving an update on the department’s current strategy and tactics to the board of education this week, Director of Safety and Security John Douglass said that staff will be working with schools to promote a “culture of safety” that extends beyond the school building.
Part of that push will be encouraging parents to lock gun cabinets in their homes and otherwise secure weapons. The district is also hoping to make free gun locks available for pick up through school buildings in the coming months.
Douglass said that while much work has been done to allow schools to create a secure perimeter in the case of an active shooter situation — which he noted are still exceptionally rare — there needs to be a focus on preventing kids’ access to firearms.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)