CHEWELAH, Wash. — The Chewelah School District has announced it will be closed on September 10 following an unspecified threat at Jenkins Junior/Senior High School.
Students who are riding buses will be returned home.
According to the district, law enforcement is investigating and additional information will be sent out as soon as it becomes available.
Kettle Falls School District, who was not a target of the threat, said the threat was vague and made on TikTok.
The Steven’s County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
Chewelah School District superintendent Jason Perrins sent the following email to the school district Monday afternoon.
Dear Chewelah Community, Staff, and Parents,
This morning, at 7:24 AM, I was informed by our School Resource Officer (SRO) of a “shooting” threat made toward Jenkins Jr./Sr. High School. Following our emergency procedures, our Incident Management Team quickly convened with the City of Chewelah Police at approximately 7:40 AM. After careful deliberation, we unanimously decided to close the school for today, Tuesday, September 10, to ensure the safety of all students and staff. This decision was finalized at 7:48 AM.
Immediately following the decision, we enacted our communication plan, notifying staff, parents, and students via email, phone, and social media. Fortunately, the buses had not yet arrived at the schools, and our transportation department efficiently redirected them, ensuring all students were safely returned home.
The threat was initially reported to target Jenkins Jr/Sr High School. We decided to close all schools to all students due to the proximity of our school campuses. As the investigation was ongoing, later in the morning, we learned that all of Chewelah School District was included in the original threat.
After a thorough investigation by local law enforcement, I am relieved to inform you that the threat has been deemed not credible. There is no longer any danger to our schools, students, or staff. We are grateful for the swift and professional response from law enforcement and can confirm that classes will resume as normal tomorrow, Wednesday, September 11, 2024.
We understand that this incident may cause anxiety or major concern for some families. To reassure everyone, there will be an increase presence of law enforcement at all our schools tomorrow. Additionally, if you or your child need support, our school counselors are available:
• Quartzite Learning Center: Kelly Tanner – ktanner@chewelahk12.us | (509) 685- 6803 ext. 2012
• Gess Elementary: Renee Jungblom – rjungblom@chewelahk12.us | (509) 685-6804 ext. 4010
• Jenkins Jr./Sr. High School: Vanessa Bigler – vbigler@chewelahk12.us | (509) 685- 6802 ext. 2011
I want to thank everyone for your understanding and cooperation today. It’s truly unfortunate that incidents like this occur, but I believe it is important that we come together as a community, return to school, and continue with our normal routines. Adversity will always be a part of life, but by taking proper precautions and remaining resilient, we grow stronger as individuals and as a community.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Jason Perrins
Superintendent, Chewelah School District