Dear WUSD Families:
Given the frightening events of today — that thankfully turned out to be an unfounded claim — we wanted to share with all of you the timeline of actions that occurred today and our responses.
At 9:53 a.m. the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department (SCSO) received a 911 call stating an adult male with a rifle had been spotted at the corner of Brooks and Arata. Units were immediately dispatched, and the first unit arrived on-scene at 9:56 a.m. Our SRO JP Tamayo advised the school to go on lockdown at 9:56 a.m. and the lockdown was issued at 9:57a.m. By 9:58 a.m. four more units had arrived on scene and the District Office had been notified of the lockdown (District leadership received simultaneous notification of the lockdown through our InformaCast PA/alert system).
Based on reports, in an abundance of caution, Brooks Elementary was put into a shelter-in-place order at 10:02 a.m. given its geographic proximity to the Windsor Middle School campus.
By 10:15 a.m. District Office Staff had notified all Windsor Unified School District campuses of the situation, and each of those sites then notified their staff directly.
By 10:22 a.m. notifications had been sent to all District families via the ParentSqaure SmartAlert function (text, email and voice call) and via an emergency override post.
By 10:30 a.m. all District Facebook pages had been updated with the same notification.
At 10:35 a.m. an update was sent via all of the above channels informing families that a sweep of the WMS campus had been completed and no subjects were found.
At 10:55 a.m. we informed families via the above channels that the lockdown and shelter-in-place orders had been lifted and that families wishing to pick up their children could do so, but it was not necessary and there would be a reunification process. They were told the school day would continue as normal.
At 11:21 a.m. a Nixle was sent from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department PIO office stating that the report of the armed man was unfounded, but also erroneously telling parents to go to the Middle School to pick up their children at a reunification point, something the school did not request. After discussion between the District and the SCSO, a retraction Nixle was sent at 11:35 a.m.
Families were messaged via ParentSquare and social media that they did not need to come and collect their children at 11:40 a.m.
Police presence was cleared, and the code was fully lifted at 11:47 a.m. No arrests were made, and the report is considered unfounded. Social media reports of any arrests are likely a few individuals who may have been momentarily detained for questioning given the gravity of the situation, but who were ultimately cleared and released.
Social emotional counselors from around the District were dispatched to provide support to staff and students. A calming center was opened in the WMS library and an emotional support dog was on hand to provide additional support.
Because of the fear level and the Nixle notification, families flocked to WMS to collect their children, and staff from the District Office was sent there to help with managing the reunification process.
While we understand the fear level involved in an incident like this, we encourage everyone to consider the above timeline and see how well the system worked to ensure the safety of staff and students and communicate with our families.
We would also like to gently remind families that in case of such an event, they SHOULD NOT go to the school site. In the case of a real event, they would not be able to get on the grounds and would be hindering law enforcement in their actions. The District will communicate to families when and where they could reunite with their students.
We thank our law enforcement partners for their continued partnership to keep our WUSD community safe.
Finally, school safety, specifically active shooter scenarios, has been a focus for us this year. While we are pleased with the outcome today, we know there is always room for improvement and we welcome your feedback.
If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Jeremy Decker
Superintendent
Windsor Unified School District