BEND, OR -- Bend-La Pine Schools officials say they’re hearing from families concerned about sending their kids back to school this week, in the wake of the Safeway shooting. The district’s Director of Safety Julianne Repman says there is a concerted effort to help students feel safe, "Specifically, when school starts, people will see law enforcement in front of our schools, law enforcement in our schools," Repman tells KBND News, "These will be maybe something as simple as seeing a patrol officer doing paperwork in a school, coming inside to use a restroom, could be one of our partners with the FBI coming in to have lunch with our students, Oregon State Police also continuing to step up. These are partnerships that we’ve always had." She adds, "These are all the baseline, really. And then, what we’re adding on is a really intentional - and we’re very thankful for it - commitment by our partners to have additional presence around the schools, in the schools and being very visible and engaged with our students." 

And, Repman says, that presence will be at more than just Bend schools, "Additionally, we have law enforcement committed to helping support private schools in the area, schools outside Bend-La Pine but in Redmond and other areas. So, if you see someone in uniform, please join us in thanking them."

Repman encourages parents to talk with kids to normalize conversations around law enforcement and safety, "Take a step back. Think about the training your student gets around a person who is unauthorized enters the school, and talk to them about ‘what would that look like in our home?’ And let the students lead those conversations and lead the family through it. And then, applying those to things like public gatherings, at a concert or going to the grocery store and other places." 

Bend-La Pine Schools also recently launched a new online portal called “Care Solace,” to connect families with social and emotional supports.