By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Most local elected bodies allow for public comments during their open meetings. The USD 428 Board of Education is one of those bodies. During the May monthly meeting held Monday night, the board heard from Joel Shelor, a parent who expressed dissatisfaction when he was not allowed to remove his child from school during a recent bomb threat at Great Bend High School on April 28.
“This whole situation has my mind pondering what safeguards the district has in place for other emergencies at the school,” Shelor said. “For example, if there’s a tornado warning, do you guys put the kids on the roofs with umbrellas so they can just Mary Poppins to their death? What do you do in a flash flood situation? Are the kids herded into the basement?”
In a follow-up to the meeting on Tuesday, district Public Information Direction Andrea Bauer said, “The USD 428 Board of Education appreciates citizens who share ideas and concerns, including those related to school safety. Per Board Open Forum procedures, no action is taken during citizen participation. Concerns and questions raised are referred to the appropriate administrators for review, follow-up, and, when appropriate, future discussion and reporting back to the Board.”
Assistant Superintendent John Popp addressed the April 28 threat during the business and operations portion later on in Monday’s meeting. Administration reviewed the district’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP), including terminology such as "Secure" to indicate a potential threat outside a district building, or "Hold" to keep students in classrooms and out of hallways.
“Our ultimate goal in every situation is the safety and protection of our students and staff,” Popp said. “The Standard Response Protocol is a nationally recognized, research-backed framework that provides clear, consistent terminology and procedures to inform our response to safety concerns.”
Bauer also provided communication that was shared with GBHS staff, students, and families after the April 28 threat was resolved. Families also received timely updates throughout that morning during the threat.
Similar threats were made to schools across Kansas in the days surrounding April 28, including in Russell, Hutchinson, and Garden City. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced last week that investigation revealed the threats seem to have originated from a single overseas source using artificial intelligence. USD 428 had no further details specific to the Great Bend threat.
More information about USD 428's SRP is available at by CLICKING HERE.