Governor Declares State of Emergency for Bend-La Pine Schools and High Desert ESD

During a press conference Monday morning, Gov. Tina Kotek told Central Oregon that, in the wake of the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting, we are not alone.

Kotek issued an executive order, declaring a state of emergency in Central Oregon in response to the mass shooting at Silver Rail on Oct. 15.

The declaration pertains to Bend-La Pine Schools and the High Desert Education Service District and grants administrative flexibility, allowing the school community to meet its most urgent needs, Kotek said.

By declaring a state of emergency, Kotek has mandated a coordinated deployment of state resources to assess, mitigate and support recovery needs through the state’s Department of Emergency Management.

Bend-La Pine Schools headquarters, located in the former Bend High School building in downtown Bend.

The Oregon Department of Education will assign a full-time staff to help the districts in coordinating federal recovery grant applications, including School Emergency Response to Violence funds. Last year, the fund dispersed an average of about $222,000 in grants to 13 school districts throughout the country.

The Oregon State Police will expedite background checks for substitute educators, crisis counselors and other needed professionals. (Bend-La Pine Schools sought and received 90 applications for substitute teachers since the shooting, according to ODE.)

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which certifies law enforcement officers, will provide 240 extra active-threat training opportunities for Oregon cops over the next three months.

And to ensure folks who need time off from work receive immediate support, the state’s Employment Department is deploying a staff member to Central Oregon to expedite access to Paid Leave Oregon. PLO grants qualifying applicants up to 12 weeks of paid leave, either taken as a block or intermittently throughout the year for medical or family leave.

The OED has staff at the Bend Worksource Center to answer questions and help people apply for benefits. The department has also established a dedicated email address and phone number that can be found at paidleave.oregon.gov.

“Business as usual will not be the norm [in Central Oregon] for some time and that needs to be OK,” Kotek said. “And we need the support.”

“The road ahead will not be easy, and we know healing takes time,” Dr. Charlene Williams, the director of the Oregon Department of Education, said at the press conference. “Grief does not follow a schedule. But Bend-La Pine Schools will not walk this road alone. The Oregon Department of Education will continue to be present, responsive and engaged for as long as this community needs us.”