“I feel scared, I kept my kids home today,” said a parent from a Kiro7 interview who chose to remain anonymous. On March 14, students and families of Pioneer Middle School were upset by the administration’s failure to bring attention to a school shooting threat. Student witnesses and a Kiro7 interview said that a student allegedly made a threat to other students at the school, announcing, “you better not show up to school tomorrow.” Pioneer administration addressed it with the involved families the following day.
Concerned about the lack of initial communication from the school, parents began posting on Facebook, in attempts to get clarity on the circumstances after being left unaware until the following week when Pioneer admin addressed the situation.
“We identified the student that made the threat. It did not raise to the level of notifying all parents,” said Assistant Steilacoom Historical School District Superintendent Shawn Lewis.
Following the Pioneer Middle School incident, on March 18, a Steilacoom High School student posted a picture holding a firearm on their personal Instagram account. After being notified by students, the SHS administration immediately took action.
“We were made aware of it towards the end of the day, and our first task was to inform law enforcement,” said SHS Principal Jake Tyrrell. Tyrrell then sent out a newsletter to inform students, staff and families on the situation. Parents mentioned that it was “relieving” and “more reassuring” to know that the situation had been immediately handled and communicated.