Tri-Valley School Could Be First with School Sentinels

COLTON, S.D. (AP) — The Tri-Valley School District in southeastern South Dakota has taken a step toward becoming the first in the state to allow school employees to carry guns.

State legislators passed a school sentinel law in March 2013, a few months after the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.

None of South Dakota's school districts has trained sentinels yet, but the Tri-Valley School Board on Monday unanimously gave initial approval to a school sentinel policy. Final approval could come next month.

KSFY-TV reports that reaction is mixed among parents. Becky Sehr says she would be comfortable with trained school staff having guns, but Shayna Weinacht says she worries about what might happen if someone accidentally got ahold of a gun in school.

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