‘We are going to be there for them’: A look inside Silver Rail ahead of student return following deadly tragedy
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Silver Rail Elementary students are scheduled to return to their school Thursday morning for a half-day, 28 days after the shooting that took four lives.
The physical damage inside the building has been repaired, but district leaders acknowledge the impacts on children, families, educators, and the broader community cannot be fixed as easily.
Silver Rail families were able to walk through the school earlier this week, giving students an opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces and places before classes resume.
“They were wanting to go see their classroom. They wanted to see their teacher. They wanted to go give a hug to the custodian and anyone else that they recognized,” Bend-La Pine Schools Chief Operations Officer Paul Dean said. “It was the students holding up the parents.”
Dean said seeing the children excited to be back at school and reconnecting with people they know helped reassure some parents and guardians.
Contractors began restoring the school as soon as law enforcement released the building. Kirby Nagelhout Construction donated its labor and equipment, while insurance is expected to cover at least some of the other costs.
The exterior windows of the impacted classroom have been covered to prevent people from looking inside, Dean said. Both doors in the breezeway leading into the classroom have also been replaced.
Inside, the room has been emptied of its fixtures, materials, and finishes. The district says the Silver Rail community will ultimately decide how the space is reimagined.
A new wall now separates the impacted classroom from the rest of the school. Artwork donated by Bend artist Sheila Dunn is displayed on the wall.
Students from the classroom where the shooting occurred will instead learn in classrooms in another part of the building.
Additional staff members, mental health support, and a veteran administrator will be on campus as students return, with resources available to any child or adult who needs them.
Superintendent Dr. Steven Cook said the district’s commitment will extend throughout the students’ remaining years in Bend-La Pine Schools.
“We’ve got kindergartners that have gone through this in this building that are going to be a part of our schools for the next 12 years, 13 years, and we are going to be there for them in that journey and help them and those families until the day they are finished in their school career with us,” Cook said.
A recently retired Bend police officer will also begin serving as Silver Rail’s dedicated school resource officer Thursday and is expected to remain assigned to the school for at least the rest of the academic year.
Cook described Thursday’s return as the first step in a long-term commitment to the Silver Rail community.
“We love our kids in this community. We’re glad to have them back in school. We’re going to do everything in our power to love them and help them feel cared for in our schools, and we still want to partner with you,” Cook said. “This is not a now problem. This is a now and later problem.”
For now, the repairs inside Silver Rail are complete — but the work of healing will continue.
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