Baker High says threat to school was misunderstanding
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, April 18th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — Officials at Baker High School and the Baker School District say that an alleged threat against the school wasn’t what it seemed to be.
The school district says Baker High School staff received a report on Tuesday, April 17 that a student was observed looking at weapons online during a school activity. Law enforcement was notified, and a threat assessment was initiated with school district staff. School staff and law enforcement confirmed that the online search in question did not involve weapons and there was no immediate safety threat.
The district says those directly involved have been fully cooperative.
“The district’s threat assessment protocol is being followed in cooperation with local law enforcement,” says Lindsey Bennington-McDowell, a spokesperson for the Baker School District. “As always, the safety of students and staff is of utmost importance, as is the privacy of those directly involved.
“We so appreciate those who voiced concerns about the potential threat,” says Superintendent Betty Palmer. “It takes courage and leadership to step forward in these situations, and we take their concerns seriously. We are doing everything we can to assure the safety of our schools.”
Baker High Principal Skye Flanagan sent this message to Baker High parents on Wednesday, April 17:
Last night, there were images and a video that were shared with school officials as well as law enforcement. Action was taken to bring all necessary agencies together to assess the situation and to take necessary steps to make sure students/staff were safe. Upon further investigation, it was found that the images/video were not what people believed them to be. As such, district officials and law enforcement worked together to ensure that all parties were communicated with effectively and that some of the information being circulated was cleared up.
We want to commend the students who spoke up immediately, reaching out to administration and law enforcement about their concerns. Their actions are what we hope for so we are better able to respond quickly and effectively to these types of scenarios.
