Thursday, October 20, 2022

Students at Reynolds High protest the school's reaction to shooting



On Wednesday, between 75 and 100 high school students from Reynolds participated in a walkout. They were upset about how the school handled the shooting on campus.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Between 75 to 100 Reynolds High School students walked out Wednesday, a week after a shooting took place next to their school.

Parents and students were upset at the school’s handling.

“They failed us,” said one Reynolds parent.  “I didn’t get a message from the school until an hour and a half later. So, it was ridiculous.”

KGW students tell KGW that they were present on campus when the shooting occurred and were not informed. 

“Any sign of danger should have been immediately attended to as quickly as possible,” said Nadege Adibonou, a senior at Reynolds high school. “Even if it’s not a sure thing that’s going on. You should take more action than the school did. 

Some students also took time to reflect upon the past Reynolds. student who was shot and killed in a school shooting back in 2014.

These situations should be taken more seriously by schools.

“I mean obviously it was absolutely terrifying,” said Sophia Lu, a senior at Reynolds high school said about the recent shooting.

 “Because you’re a student. You are afraid that you will die. There were many people who died there not too long ago. 

We were sent this statement by Reynolds School District: “We fully endorse the students’ rights to protest. We also supported the last week’s handling of the incident. We didn’t have to put students, teachers, and staff in lockdown or secure mode. 

RELATED: 16-year-old arrested in connection to shooting near Reynolds High School

District officials and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office say they worked together to determine if students on campus were safe.

KGW interviewed Steven Padilla, Reynolds School District spokesperson, about his reaction to the walkout. He said that a lockdown will be determined individually for each case. 

“We have to be fluid with the situation, depending on what it is,” Padilla told KGW. 

“We might have inadvertently locked hundreds of students outside of the school because it happened during lunch. And so, we have to take a serious look at the situation and assess and determine what is best for the safety of the students, teachers and the staff.” 

RELATED: Police seized vehicle believed to be involved in shooting near Jefferson High that injured two students

Padilla says within minutes of being notified of the incident, they had over nine sheriff deputies in the school – stating there was “no need for a secure or a lockdown.”

Padilla stated that he respects family’s right to protest.

“It’s unfortunate that this incident happened at Reynolds in 2014 and that people look back at that, but this really is a different incident,” said Padilla. 

“And it had to be responded to in a different manner.”

Return to 2014, Reynolds High School had a deadly school shooting that killed one of their students. Many students protested outside the school on Wednesday, referring to it as something they remembered. 

Padilla did say the school has a partnership with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department – they have two school resource officers on campus to provide protection to the students and the community around them. 



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