In the debut episode of the Eric’s Eye on Anthem YouTube podcast, Eric Kilstrom and new co-host Sawana welcome Wendy, founder of Rocky Mountain Consulting, an Arizona firm devoted to school safety. Wendy explains the services her team delivers, including threat and vulnerability assessments, written emergency operations plans, family reunification planning, and staff drilling. She stresses that safety reaches well beyond active shooter fears, touching everyday realities like severe allergies, custody disputes, extreme heat, and fights that escalate.
Much of the talk turns to prevention over what Wendy calls security theater, arguing that trusted adults and anonymous reporting stop more harm than hardened doors ever will. She unpacks fresh Arizona legislation, the newly signed HB 2074 and the debated HB 2022 on arming teachers, and urges neighbors to follow it closely. Along the way she weighs teacher pay, burnout, and school choice record transfers, then closes as an Anthem Chamber vice president championing the community’s tight local business network.
Key takeaways
- Rocky Mountain Consulting provides school safety services including threat and vulnerability assessments, emergency operations plans, family reunification planning, and staff training and drilling, primarily across Arizona.
- Arizona's HB 2074, signed by Governor Hobbs on May 6, now requires charter schools to keep emergency operations plans and mandates planning for students with access and functional needs, about 15% of students.
- HB 2022, then in the Senate Rules Committee, would fund arming teachers, which Wendy opposes, saying there is no evidence it makes schools safer.
- School safety spans far more than active shooters, including anaphylactic allergies (one in three kindergartners), custody disputes, escalating fights, cyberbullying, swatting, and Arizona's extreme heat.
- Expired COVID relief (ESSER) funds cut counselor and social worker positions, undercutting the prevention, culture, and trusted-adult approach Wendy calls the cheapest and most effective safety strategy.
- Wendy serves as vice president of the Anthem Chamber of Commerce and offers age-appropriate resources for parents at rockymountainconsulting.com.
Related: Eric's Eye on Anthem podcast