Document text
Medford School District likely to re-examine safety procedures By Kevin Opsahl Jun 06, 2022 06:00 AM A A The school board met for first time since the Uvalde, Texas, massacre to start planning its annual retreat A spirited discussion regarding the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, by members of the Medford School Board Thursday could lead to a re-examination of the district’s safety protocols. The idea came about during a designated time for members of the board to say what’s on their mind. The board’s meeting was the first since the massacre that left 21 dead at Robb Elementary May 24. “I don’t take at all lightly, obviously, the Uvalde tragedy and the very close connections we all feel with any school that’s in that situation,” Superintendent Bret Champion said during Thursday’s meeting. “We’re happy to, at the retreat, do an executive session and talk about the plans. We always reflect on what we can learn from these terrible situations, wishing there would never be another one.” Retreats are typically held during the summer, when school is out and the board’s docket is not as full. The meeting is expected for July, but a date was not nailed down when board members discussed it Thursday. “One day — we’re going to do a lot in one day,” Board Chair Suzanne Messer told fellow members. Board member Jim Horner initiated the discussion about the Uvalde, after the board held a moment of silence to remember the victims of the tragedy. Horner called what happened at the Texas elementary school “horrendous” and “beyond the pale.” “After you’ve expressed your feelings and you’re feeling terrible, then you can take second steps and you can say, ‘How can we make sure that isn’t us?'” he said. “My guess is, we’re probably better off than they were. On the other hand, are we doing everything that we could?” Horner believes such a review is something they owe the families of the Medford School District to keep their kids safe. “Can we look ourselves in the mirror and say we have done everything that is rational to prevent something like (Uvalde) happening here,” he said. “If we came back and found out we had an incident, and everybody says, ‘Well, that’s just like it happened in Texas,’ I don’t know how I could live.” In an interview after Thursday’s meeting, Messer said, “I cannot discuss safety protocols within our schools.” “One of the things we’re finding is — I read today — students are being trained in the schools on how to deal with an active shooter and then they’re coming back and doing what they’ve been trained,” Messer said. In terms of safety protocols at Medford schools, all facilities have security cameras, conduct drills with students and teachers, and utilize school resource officers — armed employees of the local police force who act as part guard, part counselor in and around schools. Medford School District officials highlighted some of the things they do to keep everyone safe in an impromptu news conference the day of the Uvalde shooting. This included sharing the statewide safety tip line, 844-472-3367. Another issue touched on at Thursday’s Medford School Board meeting involved money. The board is required, by policy, to have 5% of its operating budget in reserves at all times, which led Horner to propose using some of that money to improve school safety. He did not elaborate on this idea much at the meeting, but he did in an interview with the newspaper. “I always think I work for the constituents out there; the people that elected me,” Horner said. “Could I look them in the eye and say, ‘We’ve got reserves for all of this month. Do we spend a million bucks or something because we really felt it was important to bolster our safety?’ I think I could look them in the eye. You never get everybody, but I think I could get a good number of them to say, ‘That’s a good use.’” District spokeswoman Natalie Hurd said the district has worked to keep its reserves “healthy” given challenging times, but “absolutely” it could dedicate some of that money to safety via a budget amendment. The board unanimously approved its 2022-23 budget Thursday. Another board member, Karen Starchvick, said school safety is about more than law enforcement. “It’s not just about buildings and protocols and training — those are all important,” she said. “I’ve been reminded, this week especially, about (how) the majority of high school shooters are people who are bullied. It speaks to the importance of relationships and the power of knowing every child by name.” Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.