NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
3A
State task force recommends student threat assessment system
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
The Oregon Task Force on
School Safety agreed Thursday
to recommend development of a
statewide student threat assess-
ment system aimed at prevent-
ing shootings and other violence
at public schools.
The project would be mod-
eled after a student threat assess-
ment system in Marion, Polk
and Yamhill counties, said task
force member Dave Novotney,
superintendent of Willamette
Education Service District. In
that system, when schools re-
ceive an indication of threaten-
ing or destructive behavior, the
system deploys a team of law
enforcement, educators and
counselors to respond. The team
may help connect the student
with resources such as mental
health counseling or provide the
student with more supervision.
“The idea is to intervene
with hope we can nudge them
off their trajectory and help
them make decisions that are
positive,” said John Van Dre-
al, director of school and risk
management services at Sa-
lem-Keizer School District.
The system started taking
shape in 1999 in Salem-Keizer
schools and later expanded to all
of the schools in the Willamette
district.
Measuring the effectiveness
of the system has been challeng-
ing. “You can’t measure events
that don’t happen,” Van Dreal
said.
Surveys of school admin-
istrators and counselors in-
dicate the system has helped
to enhance a sense of safety
on campuses, Van Dreal said.
Schools in several other states,
including California and Ida-
ho, have adopted the protocols,
he said.
Recommendation by the
state task force calls for estab-
lishing response teams in eight
regions in the state and provid-
ing training to employees.
Threat assessment capabil-
ities across the state are spotty,
said Novotney, who also is a
task force member. Threat as-
sessment protocols in some
school districts are re¿ned while
in other places, the plans are
nonexistent, he said. Expanding
the system statewide would cost
about $1.1 million, Novotney
said.
The task force voted unan-
imously Thursday to recom-
mend the plan to the Legislature
in February and named it as one
of its top priorities for the legis-
lative session. “It is much better
to prevent these things than to
respond to them,” said Beaver-
ton Police Chief Geoff Spald-
ing, a task force member.
The task force also continues
to pursue plans to resurrect a tip
line for information on threats to
educational institutions and start
a statewide database of school
Àoor plans and safety protocols.
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO Me-
dia Group and Pamplin Media
Group.
As need grows HeOping Hands city partner to ¿ght homeOessness
Grant would
help provide
housing for
organization’s
re-entry program
By KATHERINE LACAZE
EO Media Group
SEASIDE — Helping Hands
Reentry Outreach Centers and
the city of Seaside will collabo-
rate on a federal grant application
to help the nonpro¿t organization
build or purchase a new facility
for the homeless in Seaside.
“We’re outgrowing our fa-
cility we’ve had for the past 14
years,” said Alan Evans, the
executive director of Helping
Hands. “We’re at full capacity
with waiting lists, and it’s going
to get worse before it gets better.”
The Seaside City Council
voted unanimously this month
to be the sponsoring agency
for Helping Hands on a com-
munity development block
grant, a program run by the
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development.
The block grant program
provides annual grants on a for-
mula basis to local governments
and states. Nonpro¿t agencies
cannot host the grants them-
selves and must be backed by
a government entity, which is
why Helping Hands asked for
the city’s support, Evans said.
“Homelessness is an issue
that should be dealt with on a
level that our city is involved in
it, our county is involved in it,”
he said. “The resources need to
be provided by nonpro¿ts and
local government together be-
cause the responsibility is ours
as a community.”
Helping Hands is seeking to
either purchase or build a new
facility to use for housing indi-
viduals in the organization’s re-
entry program.
In the ¿rst three Tuarters of
this year, the organization served
more than 400 individual clients
in Clatsop, Yamhill and Lincoln
counties, with a majority of ser-
vice taking place in Seaside be-
cause of the emergency shelter.
The grant process
During the City Council
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
Helping Hands and the city of Seaside are teaming to
seek a grant for a new facility.
meeting, Seaside Mayor Don
Larson said he believes the grant
will be successful, but urged
participating parties to exercise
patience. “You just have to un-
derstand you’re not going to get
it tomorrow, or by the end of the
year,” he said.
Helping Hands currently is
eyeing two options for the new
site. The ¿rst is undeveloped
Northwest Oregon Housing
Authority property on the south
end of Seaside near Avamere at
Necanicum Village. The sec-
ond option is a former Coldwell
Banker building on South Roos-
evelt Drive.
“What we have to weigh out
right now is, what is the best
bang for the buck?” Evans said.
To help answer that Tuestion,
Helping Hands is forming a
team of individuals from differ-
ent entities with a vested interest
in the project — such as Clatsop
County, Seaside, law enforce-
ment agencies, the housing au-
thority and others. The team will
determine what direction the
organization wants to go, craft
plans for the new facility, orga-
nize a budget and then present
the information to the city and
share what “will best serve the
need,” Evans said. The infor-
mation will be used for the grant
application.
“It’s going to be a lot of
work, and the city has to pull off
the grant,” he added.
If the grant is successful and
property is acTuired, the city will
own the facility and then lease it
to Helping Hands at a rate to be
determined.
Expanding to new
territory
Helping Hands is also tak-
ing its services to Tillamook
County. The organization re-
cently acTuired a facility in
Tillamook to convert into a
2nd annual
B e an AS OC Angel “Fu n- R aise r ”
TH U RSDAY
Chase begins in Seaside, ends with death of fugitive
Associated Press
Authorities say a man
wanted on attempted murder
charges ¿red at pursuing of-
¿cers before he was shot and
killed by police to end a 40-
mile chase on Highway 26 in
the Coast Range.
The Washington County
Sheriff’s Of¿ce says 6-year-
old Andrew Dehart was taken
to a hospital late Wednesday
and was pronounced dead.
The highway east
of Oregon 47 was
closed through the
night.
The sheriff’s of-
¿ce said Dehart was
wanted for attempt-
ed murder, kidnap-
ping and assault
charges in Clark
County, Washington.
U.S. Marshals
found him at a
Andrew Garrette
Dehart
friend’s home in
Seaside, but he Àed
as the marshals
waited for backup
to arrive.
Authorities say
Dehart shot at police
cars, disabling one
of them, and contin-
ued shooting until
he reached a tunnel.
Sheriff’s Sgt.
Bob Ray says
three officers got out of
their at the east end of the
tunnel. They fired at Dehart
and his truck came to a stop.
homeless relief center.
The group is ¿nishing the
process to get a condition-
al-use permit, with the hope
“to have the doors open” in
Tillamook as an emergency
shelter by Dec. 1, Evans said.
Helping Hands registered
the building, which used to be
a naval command center during
World War II, as a historical
structure. The organization is
working with the Pioneer Mu-
seum to build a memorial for
military members stationed
there during the war. The goal
is to bring the building “back
to life” and celebrate its histor-
ical aspect, Evans said.
“We are going to make
sure the exterior piece of the
building tells that story and
the hallways in the building
tell that story of what it was
there for and the importance
of history in a community,”
he said. “It’s all about form-
ing partnerships and making
sure communities understand
homelessness.”
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Kathern Leslie Burks
Licensed Beautician, 71
It is with
great sorrow
that we report
the passing of our
incredible mother,
Kathy Burks.
Kathy Burks, 71, of Gearhart, Oregon,
passed away Saturday, October 24, 2015.
Kathy was born to John Leslie Burks and Mary Ruth
Burks (Triller) in Grants Pass, Oregon on April 16,
1944. She graduated from Blackford High School in San
Jose California and later graduated from Beauty
school. Kathy enjoyed her work as a beautician,
going on cruises, watching her humming birds,
sewing, gardening and Coors Light in a bottle.
She was preceded in death by both of her parents. Kathy is survived by her five sons Dan
Keranen, Keith Keranen, Dean Keranen, J.P. Lannigan and Rick Lannigan, her
grandchildren Daniel Hamilton, James Hamilton, Colby Lupfer and Kylie Keranen and
her great grandchild Rayna Jo June Hamilton.
There will be a celebration of life potluck being held at the
S e a s i d e A m e r i c a n L e g i o n o n F r i d ay, No v e m b e r 6 t h a t 5 : 0 0 p m .
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in her name to
Providence Cancer Center in Portland, Oregon.
Co m fo rt Zo n e.
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