Coeur d'Alene High safety officer retires after 7.5 years

Chuck Keisel retired from Coeur d'Alene High School after 7 1/2 years as the district’s first safety officer, ending a job that started with no playbook and only two pages outlining the basic duties. Over time, students came to know him as more than a security presence. They asked him about homework, personal problems and even life decisions, turning a newly created post into one of the most familiar faces on campus.

Keisel’s role showed how school safety in Coeur d’Alene evolved from a single experiment into a standing part of the district’s daily routine. The safety program now has four officers, with two assigned to Coeur d’Alene High School and two at Lake City High School, which opened in 1994. District leaders have also tied the program to community-supported levy dollars, making the safety presence part of the tax decisions voters have repeatedly been asked to weigh.

That funding connection matters because the district has had to justify safety spending in an election climate that has not always delivered easy wins. A 2021 school plant-facilities levy would have added $8 million a year for 10 years for safety and maintenance needs, but it needed a 55% supermajority and received 50.27% of the vote. A 2024 levy campaign made the case that a yes vote would help guarantee continued exemplary public education and safe schools, underscoring how closely campus security is linked to broader support for district funding.

Keisel’s job also reflected a shift in how the district structured campus safety. In 2018, the district said its campus safety officers were district staff focused on preventing crime, not traditional school resource officers. That setup allowed Keisel’s work to center on visibility, trust and prevention, with a morning presence that made him part of the school day rather than an outside enforcer.

Superintendent Shon Hocker, who has led Coeur d’Alene Public Schools since July 2021, praised Keisel’s service and said the district is grateful for what he did for the education community. Before joining the district, Keisel spent 25 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a master sergeant, then worked for Cabela’s as a regional manager focused on store safety. He and his wife, Shelly, have been married 44 years, have two children and five grandchildren, and he plans to spend more time traveling, camping, fishing and exploring.