Two months after a student was arrested with a handgun at Caldwell High School, the district’s board voted for a contract addendum to let its private security officers use pepper spray gel or tasers for de-escalation in the event of school violence.
Trustees Manuel Godina and Trish Robertson voted in favor, chair Marisela Pesina was opposed, and trustee Andrew Butler and vice chair Travis Manning abstained. As more voted for the addendum than against, it was approved.
“Right now… they have two options. Besides their mere presence, they have hands-on and they have deadly force,” Student Safety and Emergency Operations Directo r Eric Phillips said. “There’s things that could happen that could require a higher level of force besides simply hands or physical control, but it’s not justified to use a deadly weapon.”
Additionally, the addendum made way for the officers — who are currently authorized to carry handguns — to keep rifles locked in a secure location at school, to be carried in and out at the beginning and end of each day.