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District Wide Broadcast Message

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Ontario School District

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    • Safety & Prevention

    What info can be shared?

    We understand the desire to have as much information as possible about any situation that may impact your child, especially when it comes to safety. We hope to explain why we’re often not able to share those details with you, even as we empathize with the desire and need to have information to make decisions as a family.
     
    When someone makes a threat that impacts our schools, we act immediately. Action involves gathering facts, collaborating with the police department and other essential partners, creating messages that follow legal and ethical guidelines, and distributing those messages to families through several different channels. 
     
    Here’s a little more insight into our process: 
    • Gathering the facts: Our school and district leadership work closely with the Ontario Police Department and State and Federal agencies whenever a threat affects a school. We do not make decisions based solely on rumor or fear. Each threat is swiftly and thoroughly investigated to determine its credibility. Depending on the situation, that process can take time because it can involve search warrants, interviews, home visits, and more.

      This can be one of the most difficult times for families and often produces the most anxiety and fear. You may have heard of a situation from your student, but as it is investigated, you likely will not receive much information from official sources like the school, district or police department. This is intentional because communicating before we have all of the facts can delay or impede the investigation and unnecessarily escalate or distract from a situation.

      This stage of the process likely doesn’t feel good to you, and it doesn’t feel good to us, either. We want you to have information as soon as possible to help ease your minds. You likely know something is being investigated but are left wondering about the severity/scope of the issue. We rely on you to trust us, and have patience during this time.
    • Create messages that follow legal and ethical guidelines: State and federal law, as well as district policy, restrict what information is public about students and investigations. When it comes to students, very little information can be shared publicly — and districts must comply with data practices and investigatory requirements. That means we are often unable to share any information about a student who is involved in an incident, including whether they are a student at our school, whether they are attending on a certain day, and any disciplinary action they will receive. We are also limited in sharing information when there is a pending legal investigation or ongoing case.

      When you don’t have all the information you want, please know we are making decisions to keep our students and staff safe, hold people accountable for their actions, and, when possible, help them learn from their mistakes. To do this most effectively and legally, we cannot share most of the details that could make some families feel better in a scary situation.
    • Distribute messages to affected families: Once we (and the police department) gather facts and develop appropriate messages for each unique situation, we begin a second period of reviewing those messages for any inaccurate or misleading information, having them reviewed by law enforcement and our legal advisors to be sure we comply with legal requirements, and then putting messages into our communication systems and sending them. 
     
    While you wait to receive a message, there are often dozens of school leaders, district administrators, law enforcement and legal professionals working as fast as they possibly can to get information to you. It matters to us that you are informed as fast as possible, and we ask for your grace and understanding as we make that happen. 

    Sadly, non-credible threats like this are likely to continue across our country for the foreseeable future. When these stories receive attention from the media or schools are forced to close, it emboldens the people who make these threats and they continue. That’s why we’re so thankful for our partnership with the Ontario Police Department, our strong leaders in our buildings, dedicated safety personnel, and the crisis response plans we’ve spent years developing. 
     
    Here are our requests for you as crucial members of our district community:
    • Trust us, and the police, to keep your children safe. We all receive extensive training and practice emergency response so we are prepared to manage these situations. Our decisions are based on facts and deep situational understanding. 
    • Have conversations with your children about social media and their digital citizenship, and actively monitor their online activity.
    • Continue to keep us informed any time you learn of information that could affect student or school safety. We take all reports seriously, investigate them, and take appropriate action.
    • Show grace and practice empathy. Being a school staff member can be one of the most rewarding and challenging careers, and our Ontario staff go far above and beyond for our students, families, and one another. In critical situations like these, we ask that our community support our staff members just as they support our students each and every day. 

    Zero-Tolerance Threat Policy

    The safety of our students and employees is the top priority of the Ontario School District. We understand that students can not reach their academic, personal, educational, or athletic goals if their school is not a safe environment for them. You have likely noticed an increase in threats both nationwide and within our district. Unfortunately, these threats intend to cause fear, disruption, or drain valuable police resources instead of being credible threats of violence to schools/personnel. Some students may think of these as pranks designed to get out of classes or school, but they are extremely serious and carry with them significant legal and disciplinary penalties. As part of our school community, your role/your student’s role in helping to maintain a safe environment is crucial.
     
    We take every potential threat very seriously, no matter the degree of the possible danger, and work closely with law enforcement to quickly assess the credibility of any information we receive. Thanks to our strict safety measures employed at all campuses and our proactive safety personnel, we have proven that we are able to quickly address and escalate any issues to law enforcement, allowing us to secure our classrooms and staff/students from threats.
     
    We encourage all students and families to follow the simple yet vital principle: if you see something, say something. If something makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, report it. Reporting potential threats to school administrators or law enforcement is the proper and safest course of action. Not reporting something or spreading false or unsubstantiated information disrupts the learning environment and creates stress for students, staff, and families. This can be as simple as sharing a threat on social media or repeating a rumor to perpetuate the threat. Instead, please report any of these instances to a trusted school official or law enforcement entity.
     
    Our district has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to threats and the sharing of such threats. This includes taking screenshots of random threats found on social media sites and posting them to your personal page to stir up fear. Students who are found to be involved in, making or circulating these posts may face immediate suspension and/or expulsion. Students may also face referral to law enforcement and potential criminal implications. We do not tolerate the attempt to scare or threaten students or staff. We have a duty to report to parents when threats are made, even when they are false threats. When we send these notices, we are sharing them to let you know that OSD staff, in cooperation with local/state/federal law enforcement, have deemed our buildings safe for students and staff. If there is ever an instance where a threat could potentially pose harm to student or staff safety, we will immediately be in contact with families.
     
    Please take a moment to speak to your child about the importance of reporting any concerns to an adult rather than circulating the threat. Together, we can help ensure that our schools remain safe, focused environments where students can learn and thrive without unnecessary fear or disruption. Let your student know that their safety and well-being are your top priorities and that they should never hesitate to reach out if they feel uncomfortable or scared about something. By working together and staying vigilant, we can create a supportive community where every student feels secure and valued.
     
    Thank you for your continued support and help in keeping our schools safe,
     
    Ontario School District

    TipReportingResources:

    SafeOregon Annonymous Tip Reporting: https://www.safeoregon.com/report-a-tip/
    Ontario School District:
    Ontario Police Department: https://www.ontariooregon.org/opd.html
    • Emergencies, call 9-1-1
    • Non-Emergency Dispatch (24/7), call (541) 473-5125

    Standard Response Protocol

    Reporting a Tip

    We wanted to take a few minutes to share with you our communication process regarding threats or reported tips. In an effort to be transparent and keep our communication pertinent, we do not share every tip that is reported to staff/SafeOregon. Instead, we spend the critical first moments investigating the matter. Due to the strong working relationship between District personnel and the Ontario Police Department, we are able to quickly identify the credibility and scope of these reported tips and threats. Thankfully, it is rare that we have to elevate a tip to a potential threat to others. 

    We want parents to know that we take every precaution when it comes to investigating tips/threats made against other students, staff, or property. To remain gracious communicators, we will only alert you of threats that pose a potential for harm, or threats that have become public. More often than not, threats can be dealt with and eliminated without having to call additional attention to the matter. 

    We ask that you be a partner in communication and continue to report anything that may be interpreted as a threat to school property or persons. Tips can be made anonymously using our SafeOregon tip line: https://www.safeoregon.com/report-a-tip/ 
     
    Tips can also be made to trusted District Personnel or law enforcement. Please call 9-1-1 if there is an immediate threat to a student, staff member, or school. The anonymous tip line allows for reporting of any negative activity on campus, including threats against the school, fights, bullying, drugs, and more. 

    Please do not resort to fact-finding on social media, because that information tends to be inflammatory or false. If you have questions about a certain situation or something you’ve seen or heard please do not hesitate to call our schools or district office. We can get you the answers you need. 
     
    Additional Resporces: 
    Ontario School District:
    Ontario Police Department: https://www.ontariooregon.org/opd.html
    • Emergencies, call 9-1-1
    • Non-Emergency Dispatch (24/7), call (541) 473-5125

    OSD Safety

    The safety of our students is paramount and central to our mission of teaching, learning, and relationship-building.
     
    The Ontario School District routinely trains and discusses how to enhance our practices important to school safety.  We have dedicated staff resources to ensure that our safety practices are up-to-date and coordinated with local law enforcement agencies. 
     
    Beyond the drills and building upgrades, the Ontario School District mindfully works to build strong relationships with students and to create a school culture and climate that is welcoming and nurturing. This work is not only intended to improve learning outcomes but is also designed to create and sustain safe schools.
     
    Some of the School Safety Practices Added or Enhanced for the 24-25 School Year:
    • Security cameras have been added (in addition to what we already had) at all campuses
    • Exterior door lockout at all district campuses
    • Security doorbell camera system installed at each school/building entrance
    • Hired a School Safety and Prevention Supervisor for the district
    • Coordination with state and local law enforcement to conduct active shooter training/drills
    • Budgeted for office remodels to enhance security at the front entrances of our buildings
    • Adding a robust Emergency Management System/streamlining response protocols
    • Educating parents and the public about what we are doing to prioritize student and staff safety and what part they play in keeping our schools safe
    • Finalizing an Emergency Operation Plan to submit to the state that outlines roles and responsibilities in the case of an event
     
    District Safety & Prevention Staff

    District Safety & Prevention Staff

    OSD Communicable Disease Plan

    OSD Emergency Operations Plan