POCATELLO — Following numerous troubling comments by students Thursday, Superintendent Mary Vagner says a “code blue” will be in effect throughout District 25 today. She said the precaution will include a  Pocatello police presence in each school.

The superintendent said the measures are precautionary to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff who she said are on edge after last week’s elementary school shooting in Connecticut.

Vagner said another reason people are edgy is the publicized prediction by some that the end of the Mayan Calendar today marks the apocalypse.

“It’s safe to say people are on edge,” she said. “There has been a lot of media attention to the shootings in Connecticut and that has stirred fear in people. That’s nationwide. I would say there are concerns across the country.”

A “code blue” lockdown means the doors in and out of the school are locked but teaching continues in the classroom. Vagner said there will also be additional law enforcement at each of the high schools and middle schools and some officer presence at the elementary schools.

“This will be beyond the normal (school resource officer) presence,” said Kent Hobbs, District 25 director of student support services. 

Lt. Paul Manning of the Pocatello Police Department said the threat level is determined by the school district and the administrators there make the requests when its believed to be needed.

“We try to do the best we can to honor that request,” Manning said.

All of the additional security, Vagner said, is in response to increased tensions and unsubstantiated rumors. She said the rumors, stemming primarily around comments made by students about the end of the world today, have been circulating at several schools and were investigated, but nothing substantial was uncovered. That’s why school was not canceled altogether.

But the district isn’t going to take any chances.

“Safety is our number 1 priority and tomorrow will be a safe day in our schools,” Vagner said.

Calls to other districts in the area showed they were not experiencing similar incidents as in District 25, including both District 55 in Blackfoot and District 21 in Marsh Valley.

Marvin Hansen, superintendent of the Marsh Valley School District said that although they were not hearing similar rumors in his district, they did review their lock down and evacuation procedures in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings.