Olathe Public Schools superintendent on how district is moving forward after school shooting

OLATHE, Kan. (KCTV) - Friday’s school shooting at Olathe East left parents shaken and concerned. Now, they’re looking to school leaders for what’s next.

Being proactive is what Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager said is most important.

“Unfortunately, there will still be tragic things that happen,” he said. “So, we have to be as prepared as we can to prevent this.”

Yeager said the district works on prevention with active shooter drills and emergency plans. He added the reunification at California Trail and Pioneer Trail middle schools were always part of the plan for Olathe East, but got lost in translation.

Another challenge is tightening security measures. According to Yeager, school leaders and safety experts are analyzing the need for metal detectors.

“One of the things we will do as the police get done with their investigation and as we finish our own internal investigation, we will consider any of those things,” he said.

Another concern is the school’s vigilance when it comes to student behavior.

Yeager said while they can’t specifically speak to the student suspect Jaylon Elmore, they are investigating him and they’ll use what they find to determine how to handle others.

“We have students in our district who have challenging backgrounds and, as a public school district, we have to welcome all of them,” Yeager said.

Yeager adds parents can find the school district’s safety measures on their website.