A note of appreciation:
The McMinnville School District works closely with a variety of
agencies to plan for student safety. The District wishes to express its
appreciation to the McMinnville Police Department for their response to
an anonymous phone threat made to Grandhaven Elementary School. Their
response was rapid and comprehensive.
We also wish to recognize the Grandhaven staff for their response in
prioritizing student safety. Grandhaven students were in good care by
their teachers; the Grandhaven team is truly an outstanding group of
adults who worked in cooperation with each other and with McMinnville PD
to put children first.
This is a great time to remind us all to say thank you to a police
officer and thank you to a teacher, support staff member or building
administrator for all they do on a daily basis on behalf of children.
Thank you!
Status of anonymous threats:
According to National School Safety and Security Services Oregon has
four 2015 reports of anonymous threats which include Prairie City and
John Day (combined report), Salem, Lincoln County and McMinnville. In
2014 California received 60 threats and Washington 37. The McMinnville
School District reports threats to local law enforcement and other
agencies as necessary. The Grandhaven anonymous call is under
investigation by multiple agencies.
Community members can help minimize threats by making sure friends,
family, neighbors and children know that threats of any kind are not
funny and should never be considered a “prank”. Threats are never taken
lightly. Social media, emails and phone communications with schools are
best used to distribute or exchange information relevant to school
activities and programs.
Emergency preparedness:
The McMinnville School District regularly conducts safety drills with
staff and students in its schools. The District partners with County
and City agencies to plan for various safety and prevention events.