Extra police on all campuses are expected to greet Beaverton School District students returning to school Thursday morning after a series of threats placed all schools on lockout the day before.
Parents received a notice from the district that all buildings will have been swept by police before students arrive Thursday. Officers will have an increased presence on campuses and staff will be extra alert.
"The last 24 hours have been stressful for parents, students, staff and our community. We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to ensure the safety of students and staff. Safety is our number one priority," the district said in a prepared statement.
On Wednesday, parents had mixed feelings about whether they wanted their children to be at school. Jay Fordice and his wife have elementary age boys. They sent their kids to class.
"We're not going to live our lives in fear," Jay Fordice said. "We're not going to let these threats dictate how we live. We're trusting that they're taking the right precautions and feel strongly that they are, so our kids are in school.
Erik Tracy, who has two kids at Westview High School, which received one of the threats, said he and his wife felt more comfortable keeping their children home.
"It was really a no-brainer. My wife and I just decided that this is something we best not have to worry about later," Eric Tracy said.
A Westview High student, Michael Ho, arrived late to school Wednesday, and only made the decision to come to school because he felt he needed to check in with some teachers about some schoolwork.
"I'm not comfortable at all. I'm really scared," he said. "I'm not sure anything is going to happen, but I hope not. I don't know why people would do such a thing to a school. This is a place for learning and to produce great things, not to put all these people in danger."
The threats made Tuesday night and Wednesday morning were similar to ones made around the country in recent days targeting businesses and schools.
The original threat, posted via Facebook on Tuesday, involved a gun.
A second threat was made Wednesday morning, when a phone call was made to Westview High School that said, "you will all die." That prompted a lockout at the high school, as well as at Conestoga Middle School and Rock Creek Elementary School.
Eventually the lockout was expanded to all schools in the district and after-school and evening events were canceled. After-school daycare at grade schools continued as planned.
A third threat of violence was posted Wednesday morning in the comment thread of the district's Facebook page. The comment was later deleted. The comment had a picture of a firearm in it. Police were able to determine it was an old picture of a firearm from a European media station dating back to 2012.
A fourth threat was made around 11:27 a.m. More than 40 administrators within the school district were sent an email that threatened violence at
a middle school in Beaverton.
The email was sent through a program designed to protect the identity of the sender. It was determined by police that the same service had been used to threaten school violence in the past.
On Wednesday, the Beaverton Police Department and Washington County Sheriff's Office said they increased their presence at Beaverton School District schools. All district schools operated normally Wednesday except for the lockout.
The district issued the following directive to parents on Wednesday morning.
The District has directed all school to go into a lockout at this time. This is a precautionary measure for all schools today and to ensure the safety of our students, staff and community.
This lockout will be in effect all day.
A lockout means business as usual inside the school. All perimeter doors are locked.
For students in portables, all transitions will be supervised by adults.
Parents/guardians – if you wish to pick up your children, please go to the school office to check your student out.
A lockout means students go on with their regular classes. Any outdoor activity is cancelled. Doors into the school are all locked.
A lockdown means there is an active threat inside the school. Staff and students shelter in the classrooms, lights are dimmed. Every door is locked. No one may enter or leave the building.