Quarterly Joint Safety Meeting

Earlier this December, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District joined local law enforcement, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, safety experts from Clackamas County and other local agencies for the district’s quarterly joint WLWV First Responders Safety Meeting. The local agencies joined district administrators and key personnel to engage in tabletop exercises around Threat Assessment: the process the district uses when an incident or student behavior causes significant concern in regard to student or staff safety.

The Threat Assessment Process includes:

• Providing a framework for gathering information about involved students, the circumstances, and the potential risk of the situation.
  
• Supporting the synthesizing of information in a timely manner to reach a grounded decision regarding the potentially harmful behavior.
  
• Facilitating a comprehensive plan to support the physical safety of all students while helping the student in crisis return to a safe and connected place in the school community.
  
• Providing follow-up regarding the implementation of safety monitoring and management plans.
  
• Developing and maintaining a sense of psychological safety among students, staff, and parents.
  
• Connecting with broader community resources and responses as necessary.
  

Local Partners used the morning's tabletop exercises to think about communication during any threat assessment process. Because any threat assessment process is collaborative between safety agencies, particularly the West Linn Police Department or Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, communication decisions are also collaborative.

During any Threat Assessment Process, both the district and law enforcement may need to communicate with:

• Students
• School Staff
• Parents
• Targeted Student(s)
• Other Schools
• District Staff
• Larger Community

All communication regarding threat assessments is rooted in safety. If there is information that students, staff, families, and/or the larger community needs, then that information will be disseminated in a timely manner. When the larger community has been notified of a threat or threat assessment process, updates will be provided as they are available. If families have been notified that a threat assessment has been initiated, they will also receive follow-up communication when the process is complete and a conclusion has been found.

Families can expect to receive information via school ListServ. If a situation reaches emergency status, meaning there is a change to the school day, a threat is imminent, or an emergency protocol such as a lockout or lockdown is initiated, families will also receive text alerts or phone calls in addition to ListServ messages. Families are encouraged to download the SchoolMessenger app, available for Apple or Android devices, to receive emergency alerts.

Safety Partners discussed the role that social media plays in threat assessment communication.

While the district will provide pertinent information in a timely manner, it's common for misinformation and rumors to circulate through social media in these incidents, which can be damaging to the police investigation or the process at large. Misinformation can also raise anxiety levels even further, creating unneeded community fear and concern. The district strives for timely communication in these moments so that families are informed and comfortable with student safety at school. Both the district and law enforcement are thankful for community members who use social media to share accurate information that has been disseminated from either agency.

Safety partners noted that no situation is created equal, using the morning's tabletop exercises to think through communication decisions in a variety of examples and scenarios.

The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is nationally recognized for its high student and staff achievement, including one of the top graduation rates in the State of Oregon. West Linn-Wilsonville serves nearly 10,000 K-12 students across 16 schools in West Linn and Wilsonville, with a mission of creating learning communities for the greatest thinkers and the most thoughtful people for the world. WLWV strives to provide challenging educational opportunities that prepare students to be college and career ready.

Email: kilstroa@wlwv.k12.or.us
Website: www.wlwv.k12.or.us
Location: 22210 Southwest Stafford Road, Tualatin, OR, USA
Phone: 503-673-7000
Facebook: facebook.com/wlwvschools
Twitter: @wlwvdistrict