Skip to Content

Bend-La Pine Schools releases after-action report on last fall’s Pilot Butte Middle School handgun incident

(Update: adding video from 4PM broadcast)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In a report released Thursday, Bend-La Pine Schools shared the results of an after-action review and safety improvement plan for the district’s response to last October's incident at Pilot Butte Middle School involving a 12-year-old student arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to school.

Last Oct. 13, the student was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun from home to the school, and a parent was cited for improper storage of a firearm.

Officials said the student came to school with the loaded handgun, plans and an intended target list, but told a staff member they had the gun. A school resource officer confiscated the handgun and took the child into custody without incident.,

The 13-page report delves into the “shared traumatic experience” for the school community but in the introduction, Superintendent Dr. Steven Cook says “the outcome was the best we could hope for.”

“This was due to the student’s decision to approach a trusted teacher and the calm, decisive response of that teacher, the (School Resource Officer) on campus, the principal and others."

The after-action review was designed to identify what worked well and areas for any areas of improvement in safety preparedness and planning, incident response, collaboration, coordination and communication.

The report states: "The active threat situation was averted by a trusting relationship between the student and a staff member from the prior school year. This trusting relationship allowed the student intending to cause harm to feel comfortable in coming forward and asking for help."

It also says, "Two weeks prior to this incident, a (school resource) officer was added to the Bend Police Department School Resource Officer Team and placed at Pilot Butte Middle School. (Previously, PBMS shared an SRO with Mountain View High School and several other schools.) This was a data-driven decision made in partnership with District Administration and Bend Police Department leadership based on the number of calls for service over past school years."

Here's the rest of the school district statement, and the full report:

The report is the culmination of a thorough review and analysis of the incident and response, with input from District and Pilot Butte leaders and staff, and from the Bend Police Department. The report is available at bls.fyi/PBMS-AAR-2025 (and below).

The intent of the after-action review is to understand how well the district’s safety measures and crisis response are working in tandem with law enforcement partners.

“Our commitment is to learn from this incident, strengthen our safety systems, and better prepare to prevent threats and to respond effectively to any school emergency,” said Dr. Steven Cook, Superintendent of Bend-La Pine Schools.

“I want to recognize Principal Jessica Gambee and her dedicated staff at Pilot Butte Middle School,” Dr. Cook continued. “From the moment this happened they have demonstrated strength, care, resilience and teamwork. The way in which the Pilot Butte school community is moving forward from this is a reflection of confident and courageous school leadership as well as the commitment of our entire Pilot Butte team in keeping the needs of students at the center of their work and providing an environment where students can thrive.”

Stephen Duval, Interim Executive Director of Middle Schools, said the review and improvement plan will help to reinforce community partnerships and enhance safety awareness and training across all schools in the district.

“By bringing together everyone involved in the Pilot Butte response, we were able to document and analyze the work we’ve done to prepare for such an event, and the actions we took in the minutes, hours and days following this event,” Duval said. “The lessons from this will inform how we respond to a wide range of emergencies in our district.”

Scott Bojanowski, Interim Director of Safety for the district, said, “Although this handgun incident was disturbing and a blow to the sense of safety we strive to provide in our schools, it also brought greater attention to the progress we’ve made in promoting a culture of safety and belonging in our schools, investing in safety system upgrades, developing strong emergency response protocols, and attending to the needs of students and staff following traumatic experiences.

"All of this is evident in our review of this incident, and from the degree of care and dedication we have seen with the administration and entire staff at Pilot Butte Middle School.”

Pilot Butte Principal Jessica Gambee also commended her staff for the ongoing support for students and families who have struggled with the October incident, including the efforts of the school’s counseling staff.

“We are a family at Pilot Butte and we do this together,” Gambee said. “I am grateful for the dedication of our staff in building strong relationships with our students.”

Anyone with questions or comments on the report is welcome to share feedback with the Superintendent’s office at https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/home/contact-us.

Article Topic Follows: Crime And Courts

Jump to comments ↓

Author Profile Photo

Barney Lerten

Barney is the digital content director for NewsChannel 21. Learn more about Barney here.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content