Police still investigating possible threat at Bend High

(Update: School absenteeism at 30 percent; update letter to parents)

The investigation into yet another possible threat of violence at a Bend school continued Tuesday.

The Bend Police Department has once again increased patrols on a local campus, this time Bend Senior High School. A letter went out to parents late Monday about a possible threat.

It said a student reported overhearing two others talking about school attacks in a way that could be “threatening to the Bend Senior High School learning environment.”

Detectives are still looking into where the remark started. As a result, some students chose not to go to school Tuesday. Officials said student absenteeism for the day was 30 percent.

“Anybody could bring a gun into school,” junior Bailey Daniels said. “I feel like they could just put it in their backpack, like anything could be pulled out during class at any time, so I just didn’t want to risk anything.”

“Your life is at risk, you know? These threats shouldn’t be taken lightly,” junior Moses Valiz said. “You never know when your last moment will be, especially with these things going on in today’s world.”

Some students said social media reports only fuel the fire.

“I would definitely say that we’re getting more threats. There was one at Mountain View High School not too long ago, and I think social media plays a big role in it,” Mikalyla Howard said. “We’ve heard a lot more about school shootings, and so maybe kids make jokes about it, and now we have to take those really seriously because of all the stuff that happened.”

Police Lt. Clint Burleigh said detectives are still investigating where the remark started, and that they take all tips seriously. He said student safety is their top priority.

Although Burleigh said responding to incidents of possible threats and putting extra patrols on campus does take resources away from other areas, it’s not something they’re growing tired of doing. He said the student tips are actually a good sign, because it means the message that it’s OK to speak out is being received.

“I’m hoping that all the efforts that the police department, Deschutes County Mental Health, the school district, St. Charles, what we’re doing to show and empower our student to say, ‘If you’re having a problem or if your friend is having a problem, let us know,'” are having an impact,” Burleigh said.

“You don’t have to tell us your name, but let us know, because we want to make sure people are OK,” he added.

Tuesday afternoon, the school sent this update email to parents:

3:00 PM Update
“Bend Senior High School families,

“Today was another great day to be a Lava Bear. While attendance was down, students who were present were in good spirits. Every staff member who was scheduled to work today was here and active in your students’ teaching, learning and support.

“Our thanks to the Bend Police Department for their support of Bend Senior High School today and every day. At this hour, all leads received have been investigated by law enforcement. I want to thank every student and parent who reached out to us via phone, email and through our Safe Oregon tip line with information. I really appreciate your engagement, support and advocacy.

“We, and our law enforcement partners, believe that our school continues to be a safe place. We hope to see all of our students back at school tomorrow for another awesome day. As always, if you have questions, please contact us at any time.

Sincerely,

Bend Senior High School Administration Team”