Alpine School District talks security after tragic student death

AMERICAN FORK, Utah (ABC4) — Wednesday’s tragic self-inflicted shooting death of a Canyon View Junior High student is the second time in a little over a week that a gun has made it onto an Alpine School District’s school property.

Last week, a Bonneville Elementary School student was found with a gun in their backpack.

Dr. Rich Stowell, communication director for the district, told ABC4 that the schools do not have gun detection systems like metal detectors in place. He explained, “we find that the best preventative measures are to build connections with students and to ensure that the students know that our campuses are gun free.”

This includes not having ZeroEyes, an artificial intelligence program that detects guns using school security cameras. Utah entered into a contract with ZeroEyes to implement in schools.

Stowell said it’s one of the options the district will look into, detailing, “Nothing’s off the table. We’re going to consider everything. And again, we want the feedback not only from parents, but from our law enforcement partners and from state officials. We’re in those active conversations right now.”

The investigation continues into what has going on with this student that made them want to take their own life. Stowell explained the district will look into everything to see if any signs were missed.

“It’s our responsibility to love and care for every student that comes through our doors. And all of our teachers and administrators do their absolute best to build community, their schools,” Stowell said.

He continued, “There’s just so much we don’t know about the circumstance. We want to give the family time to grieve and to heal. We want to give law enforcement time to conduct their investigation. And following that, when the time is appropriate, we’ll look at maybe what was going on in that particular instance. That we can learn from.”

Alpine School District encourages parents to reach out on their website and to their school administrators with any thoughts or concerns about school safety. If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Dial 9-8-8 for resources.