REDMOND, OR -- A day after a gunman opened fire in a Texas fourth grade classroom, the Redmond Schools Superintendent sent a letter to families addressing the tragedy:
RSD families,
Yesterday’s tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas was a devastating event, and it weighs heavily on all of us at RSD. The event also serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety in our schools here in Redmond.
To that end, I wanted to share what we are doing to secure our schools and help our students, families and staff feel safe for the remainder of the school year. Our highest priority is our students’ health and well-being.
The expectation at every one of our schools is that all external doors are locked each day. That includes doors that lead directly from classrooms to the outside, as well as the front doors at all schools. At several schools, this will be a change, but it’s important that we take this measure to ensure our schools are secure.
Other safety measures already in place include a partnership with the Redmond Police Department and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office to provide six armed School Resource Officers. We regularly do schoolwide drills on Standard Response Protocols and we lock schools down in response to threats. We have had reasons to lock down both Ridgeview High School and Obsidian Middle School this school year. In addition, we have mental health counseling at several of our school sites through partnerships with school-based health centers and Rimrock Trails Treatment Services. Our school district has also invested heavily in the mental health of our students with school counselors, the Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition Program (BRYT) and our StepUP program.
Part of our 2020 bond includes adding additional safety measures, like locked entry vestibules and new security cameras at all of our schools. Thanks to our voters, by the time our students return for the start of the 2022-23 school year these changes will be in place in several of our schools. All of our schools will have new or upgraded systems by the end of the 2022-23 school year.
The school district is working hard to be proactive in preventing another senseless tragedy like what took place in Uvalde. You can help us too, by reporting any concerns or threats to the school district or Redmond Police and encouraging your students to do the same. Many school shooters either post their plans on social media or tell someone of their plans ahead of time. If you see something, say something.
Thank you for trusting the Redmond School District to keep your children safe. Let’s finish this school year strong.
Sincerely,
Charan Cline, Ed.D
Superintendent
Crook County School District officials say elementary students wanting to discuss the shooting were encouraged to talk with counselors. KBND News reached out to Bend-La Pine Schools, but were not provided details of the district's response.
