Scottsdale school district, local police discuss solutions to school threats at town hall

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD), like other districts in the state and country, are trying to find solutions to a growing problem—school threats.

On Monday night, SUSD hosted a town hall about the issue at Chaparral High School. It’s the latest district to round up parents, teachers and local law enforcement to address the issue.

“The increase is significant. It’s exponential in terms of the number that we’re getting, and it’s constant,” said Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther.

SUSD Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel told Arizona’s Family that he’s been having meeting with superintendents in the North and West Valley.

“We are having those conversations. As superintendents, we talk about what we’re seeing and how that might unfold and what we can learn from each other,” Menzel said.

In an interview with Arizona’s Family, state education superintendent Tom Horne said school resource officers can keep students safe.

“We want the schools to apply for them. Any school that asks for them, a school resource officer (SRO), will get one,” Horne said.

Last week, the department identified an extra $15 million to invest in more SROs.

Chief Walther and officials from the Paradise Valley and Phoenix police departments agree SROs make a difference, but filling the vacant spots is not easy.

Chief Walther mentioned how an SRO was able to respond within seconds when a threat was made against Chaparral High last week. The threat was later found not credible and believed to have been made from out of state, perhaps even out of the country.

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