Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, school district investigate threat of school shooting
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and Mount Baker School District are investigating after a threat about a school shooting was found scratched into the wall of a bathroom on school property last week.
The threat, which stated “School Shooting October 28th” was found Thursday, Sept. 30, scratched into the wall of the men’s bathroom in the field house, Mount Baker School District Superintendent Mary Sewright told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“It was difficult to read as it did not stand out,” Sewright wrote about the threat, which was reported to the sheriff’s office. “We worked with them to investigate the situation. At this time we do not know who did this or exactly when it was done as it was not clearly visible.”
Parents were contacted about the threat after the school district felt confident that it had accurate information about it, Sewright reported.
“Although we know the best way to prevent dangerous situations is through relationships, visibility, listening, and observing, we have also increased supervision and are working with the Sheriff to increase law enforcement presence on our campus,” Sewright wrote.
The incident remains under investigation, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Herald in an email.
In a letter she said she planned to send to district parents Wednesday, Oct. 6, evening Sewright addressed student and staff safety, which she wrote is “a top priority.”
“When a student or adult sees or hears something at school or in the community through social media or word of mouth, you have all been great about sharing that information rather than assuming we are already aware of it,” Sewright’s letter read. “When a safety concern does arise, we investigate that concern as quickly as possible and do a risk assessment.
“Depending on the level of concern, we may involve our counselors, administrators, local law enforcement, and/or local agencies. When we are confident that we have accurate information, we share that information with families.
“If there is an imminent danger, we may react with anything from a lockdown to evacuation to relocation for parent pick-up. In these cases, the communication is immediate.”
Sewright also added that the district has taken many steps in recent years to improve safety, including:
▪ Implementing some security surveillance systems and planning for more.
▪ Installing a front door camera system to greet visitors and grant entrance once identification is verified at Harmony Elementary as a pilot program. There are plans to install similar systems at all schools.
▪ Focusing on supervision at all levels and increasing supervision staff at the secondary level.
▪ Using technology to flag unsafe internet behavior.
▪ Staffing every school with counselors and making district mental health specialists available to all students and family service coordinators to support families.
▪ Making sure social-emotional learning is a focus at all schools.
▪ Creating an anonymous tip line at 360-383-2093.
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 4:23 PM.
