To my community,
As a mother raising children in the Bend-LaPine School District, and a preschooler, my heart is broken for the victims, their families, and every child, parent, teacher, and first responder affected by this terrible tragedy.
NO FAMILY should ever have to endure this agonizing fear and loss. I want you to know that I feel the profound shock, anguish, and frustration felt by parents across our entire community.
Right now, our first responsibility is to grieve, to wrap our suffering families in prayerful support, and to stand tightly together. We owe a debt of gratitude to our school staff and educators as well as the first responders. But also to the heroic citizens who stepped forward to further protect our community’s most precious resource. Our community is forever grateful for their quick and courageous actions.
The first responders from all over our region acted incredibly quickly and with profound professionalism. The Bend Police Department was on scene within less than 4 minutes and we trust their assessments and handling of the situation, and we are blessed to have such dedicated public safety heroes protecting us.
True compassion requires us to evaluate all aspects of the tragedy to not only prevent recurrence, but improve situational protocol. Yesterday highlighted areas where we must do better for our families and the broader Bend community, particularly regarding the delayed notifications that left everyone in suspense. I’m also VERY concerned about inconsistent lockdown directives throughout the district which caused further confusion amongst students and families. While the City of Bend and the Bend-La Pine School District operate under separate jurisdictional authority, the physical safety of our children transcends legal lines. Leadership means using the platform you have to bring people together RIGHT NOW, not sometime in an idealized future. |
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As Bend’s mayor, I will initiate a cross-jurisdictional partnership to build a UNIFIED SCHOOL SAFETY STANDARD PROTOCOL THROUGHOUT OUR REGION. It is evident now that the communication between Bend-LaPine and Redmond School Districts needs improvement. My primary concerns are: - Deschutes County parents and residents received NO official emergency alerts and were left to determine for themselves whether or not community rumors were true (even from their own children at different schools)
- Bend-LaPine School District did not lock down other schools while Redmond School District was under full lock down
As mayor, my aim is to create space for more transparent conversations between our vital service providers as well as all of the communities throughout our region, and ensure accountability throughout every step of the process to enable better outcomes. It’s absolutely the duty of leadership at all levels to ensure that our schools are as safe as they can possibly be should any breach be attempted again. Our most vulnerable citizens, our children, should always be valued and protected by any means necessary. We can achieve: Standardized Protocols: Align lockdown and safety procedures across ALL Central Oregon schools - Centralized Communication: Establish a synchronized emergency notification system so parents district-wide are informed during a crisis
24-Hour Behavioral Health Reporting Line: Create a platform for an anonymous reporting line for all students or staff to share any concerns Social Services: Work collaboratively with social service agencies to support preventive safety measures
Our children deserve to learn in peace. Bend families deserve confidence in our preparedness. Today, we mourn and hold the affected families close to our hearts. Moving forward, we work together with humility, focus, and absolute determination to protect our children and strengthen the safety of our home. |
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