BELLEVUE, Wash. — School safety concerns remain high after a shooting at a Michigan high school that killed four teenagers.
For the past two weeks, authorities and school officials in western Washington have been responding to threats at several schools in the region.
On Thursday morning, students and parents of Yelm High School woke up to find out classes had been canceled. The district called the move "overly cautious" as they investigate rumors of threats made by students.
“I do lay awake at night thinking about that, and what can we do better as a school district, as a community, to make sure something like that does not happen,” said Douglas James, the director of security for the Bellevue School District.
James is a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent turned head of security for the Bellevue School District. His full-time job is keeping students safe. His mantra is, “see something, say something.”
“Individuals don’t simply snap,” said James. “With targeted violence, particularly in the K-12 setting, it starts with and goes down a pathway, and it’s important for us to recognize that pathway so we can intervene and provide support to the individual prior to them committing the act.”
The shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan occurred on Nov. 30. In the weeks that followed, schools around western Washington flagged threats, and in some cases, canceled school altogether.
In the Mukilteo School District, it was found one student made threats against several different schools.
"We’re super grateful that people reported this right away because we want to know. We take that seriously so that we have a chance to investigate,” said Diane Bradford. a spokesperson for the Mukilteo School District.
Last week, a 14-year-old was arrested in relation to the threats posted on social media. That student now faces six potential felony charges and is expected to appear in front of a judge on Friday.
“I believe the individual did indicate that they had no intention to carry this out, however, these things are taken very seriously, joke or not, and students will be held accountable when these things occur,” said Courtney O’Keefe, a spokesperson for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
Experts say in most cases, students who are planning an attack on classmates will make those plans known ahead of time. Because of this, parents and students are asked to report any and all concerning behavior, including posts on social media.
It's a message that James finds himself reiterating to staff and students in Bellevue as he calls on all to stay vigilant.
“If we understand those indicators ahead of time, and we report that concerning behavior, we can stop those attacks,” said James.