Dear Enumclaw School District Families,
As you are aware, this morning, students and staff at Enumclaw Middle School were safely evacuated by the Enumclaw Police Department following reports of a “small explosive device” in the school courtyard.
After further investigation, including student and staff interviews, law enforcement confirmed the source was a cell phone battery that had caught fire after being forcibly thrown to the ground. The fire was quickly extinguished by staff, and no injuries were reported. Once the building and surrounding area were cleared by law enforcement, students and staff safely returned to the school and resumed the day. Please be assured that the adjacent schools continued their school day with locked doors, as is their standard security procedure.
We understand that the initial message sent to families was alarming. We take any reported threat to our students or schools seriously, and as a district, we are committed to providing prompt and accurate communication in the event of an emergency or potential threat to student and staff safety. The language we used reflected the initial report from law enforcement at the scene and was the information the district had at the time of the evacuation and the first message to families.
Our current communication practice is to provide verified information as soon as it is received, with follow-up updates to ensure families stay informed as the situation develops. While our intent is never to cause unnecessary fear or panic, we understand how stressful these situations can be, and we apologize for any concern this morning's message may have caused.
We will continue to review our practices to provide parents and families with timely, transparent, and accurate information while also being mindful of how the information will be received.
Please note: Due to the nature of social media algorithms and based on past experiences where posts have resurfaced in newsfeeds days after an event, we will be removing these alerts from our social media pages to avoid any confusion. If you would like to provide comments or feedback to us, please email communications@enumclaw.wednet.edu
I want to reiterate how proud I am of the swift response by our students and staff, and I want to thank the Enumclaw Police Department, Washington State Patrol, and Enumclaw Fire Department for their immediate response and support.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to keep our students and staff safe and respond effectively to unexpected events.
Sincerely,
Dr. Shaun Carey
Superintendent
