We understand the high levels of anxiety and frustration currently circulating in the Waitsburg community. Many community members are expressing concerns over information circulating on social media regarding an alleged threat made by two Waitsburg High School students against the WHS student body.
The adult who authored the original Facebook post contacted the Walla Walla County Sherriff’s Office. Officers contacted WSD school administration, who worked with the Sherriff’s office to conduct an investigation. The results of the investigation by law enforcement concluded that it was not a credible threat and no danger was posed to students or staff. Due to student privacy laws protected under FERPA, the district is unable to release any additional details on the situation or background.
We do wish to share with our community both the immediate actions and long-term strategies Waitsburg School District will be taking to strengthen safety measures across our school campuses.
Measures currently in place to protect students and staff:
- Emergency plans are in place that were developed in coordination with local law enforcement and fire departments. We will be reviewing and updating these plans with law enforcement soon.
- Staff and students participate in regular drills (including lockdown, shelter in place, and evacuation) in our schools so that employees and students know what to do in an emergency.
- The SafeSchools Alert reporting system allows students, staff, families, and community members to report safety tips and concerns. That link is accessible from the home page of our district website.
- Our school counselor, Rosy Nechodom, serves all three school buildings and can be contacted at rnechodom@waitsburgsd.org or 509-337-6301.
- We continue to update and add new resources to our “Student Health & Safety” webpage, which can be found on our district site under the Parents and Students tab (www.waitsburgsd.org/page/health).
Safety plans moving forward:
- We have been working with the Walla Walla County Sherriff’s Office to arrange active shooter training for staff this summer. Active shooter drills for students and staff will begin in our schools this fall.
- I am working with our finance office and school board to explore purchasing the following options:
- Secure badge and/or buzz-in entrances to regulate access to buildings
- Exterior and interior cameras
- Alarm systems
- To enhance the efforts of our school counselor, we are having conversation with local and regional mental health agencies, including Comprehensive Mental Health, Walla Walla Community Health Department, and ESD 123.
- The Regional Safety Center Threat Assessment team from Educational Service District 123 will be facilitating a Waitsburg community safety session this summer. Please look for more details on this coming soon.
We are committed to listening to the concerns and suggestions of our families and collaborating with our community to continue improving our schools for the safety and wellbeing of Waitsburg’s children.
Sincerely,
Mark Pickel
Superintendent