Alarming Comments Tracked by Chelan County Sheriff’s Office
Media Release received from Chelan County Sheriff’s Office. School Interview by Dennis & Loni Rahm
In a media release issued Wednesday morning, Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett reported that on October 30th at approximately 6:00 PM, the Chelan High School principal received information pertaining to an online conversation mentioning a school shooting.
The conversation was a group snapchat involving multiple students from the Chelan School District. School staff, along with responding Deputies, were able to identify the students. After contacting an involved student and parents, it was determined there were alarming statements made, however the threat was not credible.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s office has three school resource officers, including one full time Deputy assigned to the Chelan and Manson School Districts. He was notified soon after the incident was reported and is working with the district to resolve the situation.
The school district did an emergency expulsion Tuesday night of one student involved in the posting. The Sheriff’s Office has an extra presence at the school this morning including a Detective if needed for follow-up on the incident.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office school resource officers are committed to partnering with the school districts to provide a safe environment for the students. Threats to the schools are taken seriously no matter what the initial intent was.
End of Media Release
School Officials Praise the “See Something, Say Something” Philosophy
School Superintendent Barry DePaoli indicated that once they became aware of the incident, CHS Principal Brad Wilson and law enforcement officials from Sheriff’s office immediately started investigating the potential threat. It was determined that there were about 15 high school age students in the chat group, and they were able to track down who posted the message.
DePaoli wants to assure the community and parents that the incident has been determined a “false threat and the school is a 100% safe environment”. He also expressed gratitude to students who came forward to report concerns about the message.
“This is a good example of the school policy of ‘See Something, Say Something’ and the students’ understanding the importance of reporting anything that doesn’t feel right,” said DePaoli.
CHS Principal Wilson echoed the importance of quickly reporting anything that could be interpreted as a danger to the school or to another student.
He indicated they had called an all staff meeting this morning with the Middle School and High School to provide a face-to-face update which staff can then relay to their students. In our conversation with Wilson, he expressed factors that contributed to a successful outcome in this situation.
First was the speed with which the administration and law enforcement officers were made aware of the potential threat. “They knew about the thread within 20 minutes,” he said. “The longer a situation goes on, the more dangerous it can become.” He was also extremely appreciative of student and parent cooperation.
Wilson mentioned the comment was a “huge mistake by a kid which will have serious repercussions. He also spoke about the “guilt by association” factor that could have led to consequences for all the students in the online conversation.
Administrators and teachers will be reinforcing the message to students to never associate with illegal or threatening communication. “Your presence can be construed as an accomplice which can put you at criminal risk”, Wilson said. He also confirmed that any backlash or blame directed at students who report potentially threatening situations is a criminal offense and will not be tolerated.
Deputy Sheriff Nigel Hunter, the school resource officer, has indicated although it turned out to be a non-credible threat and the matter has been resolved, it was a reminder to always be aware.”
The school will continue to evaluate how to best address this situation with students and to use it as a learning experience for students, their parents, and the staff.
