UPDATE: A student responsible for the threatening message has been taken into custody. The following is a transcript of a message sent by Principal Lara Tiffin regarding the matter:
Saxon Community,
This is Principal Lara Tiffin with a positive update on what transpired at South Salem High School over the past few days. Yesterday, Salem Police took the student responsible for the graffiti into custody, and they are proceeding with criminal charges. Those charges are in addition to the disciplinary consequences that this young person faces. We take great pride in creating a safe space for our students at South High, and incidents like the one we experienced this week absolutely will not be tolerated. We know tensions are high, and we will continue to have additional security at our school while we settle back into our normal routines. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to download the SafeOregon app to your phone so that at any time, you or your child can make a report just like the ones that helped notify law enforcement of this incident. We are so grateful to our community for your patience during this investigation, as well as your support of South High. Together, we’ll continue to ensure that every day is a great day to be a Saxon.Thank you.
Saturday afternoon, parents of Saxons got a call and email informing them of recent activity that was uncovered Friday afternoon. A threatening message, that was written on a bathroom wall, was found at South. The message contained a threat of a school shooting on April 30. Along with law enforcement, South is investigating this incident. This week, out of precautions, there will be additional security at South and Howard Street.
Chloe Nguyen ‘22 and her parents heard the voicemail Saturday night, like many South students. Some parents are planning on keeping their children home on April 30.
“Both my parents and I were concerned,” Nguyen said. “My parents were hesitant in letting me go to school but knowing there is extra security helped ease their worry. I still feel uneasy knowing someone wants to cause so much harm at South.”
The message was reported by many through SafeOregon — a program designed to help students, parents, and staff report suspicious activity, safety threats, and/or acts of violence. The tip line works by having a technician analyze all reports and send important messages directly to the school contact. According to the SafeOregon website, tips with immediate actions may result in contact through a phone call directly from a technician or may result in a call local law enforcement as well.
“Most of the times these things don’t amount to anything other than people being bored in a bathroom but we do take these things very seriously. We have involved local law enforcement so when this person is found not only will they face disciplinary consequences but also legal consequences,” Lillian Govus, APR, Director Community Relations and Communications, said.
The school has declined to comment because they are in an ongoing investigation.
