Message to Parents Regarding Threat of Violence at OMS Monday

Dear Parents,

Recognizing parents’ rights and needs for timely and accurate information about student safety, I want to share with you an incident that occurred over the weekend. 

Yesterday afternoon, a student was charged and taken into custody for allegedly making a threat to bring a weapon to school while playing an online video game with other students.  

A tip reporting this threat was reported to law enforcement and school administration.  The school, in cooperation with law enforcement, responded immediately. The student is currently not in attendance while we work with the police on the investigation.  

As with all matters of student safety, we have taken this very seriously and have acted accordingly, utilizing both school system disciplinary resources and necessary law enforcement action. We want to assure you that the safety of our students is our top priority and that our schools have plans in place to address student issues such as this. This plan is reviewed and renewed annually with the help of local law enforcement.

Parents and students can help make our schools safer, by not passing along rumors they hear to their neighbors and friends, but instead reporting them to school administrators who will investigate and if necessary turn it over to the police.

It is equally important for us to work with our staff to ensure they are prepared to support students in difficult times. We took time this afternoon to update Orchard staff on this issue and ensure they have the resources they need to respond to student questions and concerns.

Parents, staff and students can report concerns 24/7 using our Safe Schools anonymous reporting system online at https://wenatchee-wa.safeschoolsalert.com/, by texting 844.336.1964 or email 1046@ALERT1.US

By working as a school community in partnership with parents, we can create and maintain the level of safety that we want for our children and that they certainly deserve. We appreciate your willingness to continually trust us with your children. We make every effort to provide them with a safe and caring environment while at school.  If we can be of further assistance, please contact your child's school.

Sincerely,

Dr. Paul Gordon 
Superintendent