86% of Silver Rail families want children to return after Bend shooting; superintendent flags security and funding gaps

Bend-La Pine Schools released the survey on Oct. 28, showing 86.2 percent of parents want their children to return to Silver Rail. The district offered families the option to transfer to a different school or explore online learning. Survey responses also indicated a need for more support for child care, food, family leave, children's mental health and community activities.

Silver Rail will remain closed through Nov. 6. The reopening date depends on completing repairs and meeting safety codes, including fire marshal requirements for exit doors.

Governor Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency for Bend-La Pine Schools and the High Desert Education Service District. At a press conference Oct. 26, she said state agencies are helping teachers access paid time off, speeding up background checks for mental health professionals and potentially providing state funding while federal emergency money is pending. "This is an all-of-government response at the executive branch," Kotek said. "We are treating this like the disaster it is."

Kotek also directed the Oregon Department of Education to educate parents about the state's safe-storage law, which requires gun owners to lock firearms away from minors. "Having a law is not enough if people do not understand what it requires or how to comply with that," she said.

In an interview, Superintendent Steven Cook said the district has not taken any security options off the table. Measures such as metal detectors and razor wire "are part of the conversation," he said, but decisions would rest with the school board. Cook noted that a proposal from parent Kurt Hopfer to station an armed officer at every district school would be a major challenge, as Bend-La Pine has 33 schools and only eight school resource officers. "The scaling that would take to meet the needs of that request is a large, large consideration," Cook said.

Cook also highlighted a gap in special education funding. The attack targeted a special education classroom. The district faces a roughly $9 million gap to support its highest-needs students because state funding for special education is capped at 11 percent of total enrollment. "That's a real issue," Cook said. "That's a conversation that I don't believe at any point in time we can avoid."

State Sen. Anthony Broadman, a Bend Democrat whose district includes Silver Rail, said lawmakers have a responsibility to examine state laws and make changes if they are not serving the community. Kotek said she remains committed to reviewing Oregon's gun violence prevention laws and expects proposals when the Legislature meets next year. She plans to ask lawmakers for emergency funding when they convene in December.

The Oct. 15 attack killed teacher Megan Lambert, 25, and three students. A parent who was passing by, Kaylub Giamanco, pursued the shooter and fatally shot him.