Bend schools, except Silver Rail, reopen as some families stay home and push for security changes

Families in Bend-La Pine Schools are navigating fear and trauma Wednesday, the first day back to classes for most students after a shooter at Silver Rail Elementary killed three children and one teacher, and seriously injured another educator and young student.

All Bend-La Pine schools except for Silver Rail reopened Wednesday morning. Principals sent letters to parents Tuesday advising them that the first day back will be about familiar routines and support.

“I think it’s a really important first step for the healing of our community,” said Superintendent Steven Cook.

The district arranged extra counselors and a visible police presence, while teachers are trying to create routine after the tragedy. But for some parents, it’s too soon to resume classes. Others say they may never be ready to go back.

“I’m not going to participate in normalizing these events,” said Kristan Banks, the mother of a 10-year-old in a district charter school. Her family has decided not to send their daughter back until changes are made with school security.

The Bend Police Department will have an officer at every school on Wednesday and an increased presence on campuses throughout the week, said spokesperson Sheila Miller.

Adding security when parents are already present at schools to drop off and pick up their children wasn’t convincing for Banks.

“Is that just for show?” she said. “This feels very performative.”

The district’s goals of creating safety and connection through routines are butting up against many parents’ frustration and fears for their children.

An online petition started by a Silver Rail parent calling for more police and security in the district had garnered more than 1,500 signatures as of Tuesday night.

Silver Rail families in limbo

Trey Heiss’ daughter Scarlett is in second grade at Silver Rail Elementary. On the day of the shooting, he waited for an “agonizing” four and a half hours at Journey Church, the district’s reunification center, to hear the status of his daughter.

Since then, he said, they’ve been waiting for information about when classes for Silver Rail students will restart.

“We’ve heard nothing,” Heiss said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s just all we’ve heard at this point is it’s closed indefinitely.”

He started the online petition advocating for security changes within the district. It calls for school resource officers at each of the around 30 schools in the district, regular security assessments, a parent-led safety committee and interventions for kids who are struggling with their mental health.

The school resource officer at his daughter’s elementary was spread too thin between multiple schools, far too much responsibility for one officer to effectively respond to a shooter, he said.

The 16-year-old who killed four people and injured two others Oct. 15 was a former Silver Rail student who opened fire in a special education classroom. He shot his way into the building, police have said. A teacher, who was not injured, tackled the shooter, while a parent who was passing by the school as the attack unfolded pursued the teen into the classroom with a gun, fatally shooting him.

“I do worry that if we just let it go back to normal too fast it’ll just kind of get swept under the rug and nothing will get changed,” Heiss said.

He is hoping his petition will generate enough attention that meaningful plans can be made at the next school board meeting, scheduled for Nov. 10.

Other parents, like Banks, have pulled their children out of the district in the days since the shooting.

Fragile trust

Amy Banton’s 10-year-old son Wallace attends Highland Magnet School. He is returning to classes this week.

The day before schools reopened, the mother and son were at the Deschutes Public Library’s Central Library making crafts and writing notes for the families of Silver Rail Elementary.

The event was meant to honor 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, one of the students killed in the shooting. The names of a slain 8-year-old and 11-year-old have not been publicly released at the request of their families, police have said.

“I’m nervous,” Banton said about sending her son back to school. She keeps thinking about the “what ifs.”

“I believe in the safety plans that they’ve put in place, but it’s scary,” she said.

She and Wallace held signs made at the library reading: “We love you Silver Rail” and “Endless amounts of love.”

On Wednesday morning, Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook met with reporters in a parking lot of William E. Miller Elementary. School buses rolled past, shuttling students for the first day back to class. In recent days, people have asked him about adding bullet proof glass and razor wire to buildings.

Some families wanted classes to resume on Monday to return to normalcy, he said, while others are now questioning what normal looks like.

“That is the conversation that is fair and real,” he said. “Not just for our district but for the entire country, to decide what do we want to do when we have to face situations like this.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct when police officers will be present on campuses of Bend-La Pine Schools this week. OPB regrets the error.