Two weeks after a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend left three students and a teacher dead, a large majority of families say they want their children to go back. A survey from Bend-La Pine Schools found that 86.2% of parents want their kids to return to the school.
The results follow the resumption of classes for thousands of students across the district last Wednesday. Silver Rail itself will stay closed through Nov. 6. The district said a reopening date depends on "completing repairs and meeting all applicable safety codes, including Fire Marshal requirements for exit doors."
Silver Rail parents were asked to complete a return-to-school survey this week, and the district also gathered feedback from staff as it considered next steps. Superintendent Steven Cook told OPB's "Think Out Loud" that the survey asked families whether they wanted their children to return, move to a different school or look into online options. Some responses showed that certain parents still do not feel comfortable sending their children back. The district said those families can request a transfer.
Families also asked for more support in several areas, including child care, food, family leave, children's mental health and community activities for kids. What those resources will look like, and which safety and security changes may be adopted, has not yet been settled.
"I think at this point, we haven't taken anything off the table," Cook said. He added that razor wire on fences and metal detectors in schools "are part of the conversation," though the school board would make those decisions. Cook also indicated the district could pursue grants and emergency funds for immediate needs such as counseling services.
Cook also responded to an open letter sent last week to state and local leaders by Kurt Hopfer, a father in the district. The letter asked for an armed law enforcement officer at every Bend-La Pine school during the school day, at least through the end of the school year. "It's a tough conversation," Cook said. Like many Oregon districts, Bend-La Pine has a limited number of school resource officers: eight for its 33 schools. Cook called placing officers at every school a "large ask," and said it was "not just a resource ask, it's a viability ask."
Funding is another pressure point. According to Cook, the district faces a gap of roughly $9 million in money to support its "highest-needs" students through disability funding.
The shooting took place on Oct. 15. The 16-year-old shooter, who previously attended Silver Rail as a special education student, opened fire on a special education classroom. In Oregon, special education funding is capped at 11% of a district's total student population, even when more students qualify for services.
"That's a real issue," Cook said. "That's a conversation that I don't believe at any point in time we can avoid, and it's definitely something our community is going to want to talk to us about."
