sNok signflz
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
3
Smoke Signals file photo
makwst-mun (February)
" Sunday, Feb. 5 3 General Council meeting, 11 a.m., Monarch Hotel
& Convention Center, 12566 S.E. 93rd Ave., Clackamas, and via the
Zoom teleconference application. 503-879-2304.
" Wednesday, Feb. 8 3 Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person atten-
dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference
application. 503-879-2304.
" Monday, Feb. 20 3 Tribal oïces closed in observance of Tribal Chiefs9
Day.
" Wednesday, Feb. 22 3 Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person atten-
dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference
application. 503-879-2304.
k un-mun (March)
" Wednesday, March 1 3 Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person at-
tendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference
application. 503-879-2304.
" Friday, March 3 3 Native Youth Wellness Day, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Tribal
gym, 9615 Grand Ronde Road. 503-879-1471.
" Friday-Saturday, March 3-4 3 Agency Creek Round Dance, Tribal gym,
9615 Grand Ronde Road.
" Sunday, March 5 3 General Council meeting, 11 a.m., Tribal Council
Chambers, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, and via the Zoom teleconference
application. 503-879-2304.
" Wednesday, March 15 3 Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person at-
tendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference
application. 503-879-2304.
" Wednesday, March 29 3 Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person at-
tendance in Tribal Council Chambers and via the Zoom teleconference
application. 503-879-2304.
Tribal nonemergency text line
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has a nonemergency
text line at 541-921-2927.
<If you have a nonemergency situation or question, feel free to con-
tact my ofocer via text through this line,= said Grand Ronde Tribal
Police Chief Jake McKnight. <When one of my ofocers receives the
text, they will call you back when they have time.=
McKnight said that emergency situations still require calling 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474. þ
Yoga is $5 per class
or $40 for a
10-punch pass.
Purchase a yoga pass
and get a free drink!
A suspected fentanyl exposure at Willamina High School on Tuesday, Jan. 17,
affected three students, two staff members and a Yamhill County Sheriff9s
deputy. Tribal officers and the Grand Ronde Tribal Fire Department responded
to an unusual odor emanating from a room in Willamina High School.
Fentanyl exposure detected
at Willamina High School
By Kamiah Koch
Social media/digital journalist
A suspected fentanyl exposure at
Willamina High School on Tuesday,
Jan. 17, has left families in the
Grand Ronde community concerned
about the safety of their children.
According to a press release from
the Grand Ronde Tribal Police
Department, Tribal officers and
the Grand Ronde Tribal Fire De-
partment responded to an unusual
odor emanating from a room in
Willamina High School.
<This odor impacted three juve-
nile students, two staff members
and a deputy,= the press release
said.
Tribal Police Chief Jake McK-
night conormed that Yamhill Coun-
ty Sherriff9s Ofoce personnel also
responded to the call and one of
their deputies was the ofocer ex-
posed.
Tribal Police and local news
sources report the suspicious odor
believed to be fentanyl came from
a bathroom inside a modular class-
room.
Students and staff were evac-
uated and the school went into a
lockdown procedure. Those exposed
were treated at the scene as Tribal
emergency services arrived. Three
people were taken to an area hos-
pital and later released.
Grand Ronde community mem-
bers have taken to online posts to
voice their disappointment in the
school9s lack of urgency in notifying
families of the incident.
According to a KOIN-6 story,
some families were not notified
until after their children had re-
turned home from school, while
some received no notiocation at all.
Willamina School District Super-
intendent Carrie Zimbrick forward-
ed a message to Smoke Signals on
Thursday, Jan. 19, explaining the
timeline of events.
<After students and staff were
assessed and attended to, law en-
forcement and school staff began
collecting information to begin a
thorough investigation,= Zimbrick
said. <Students and staff were
interviewed, searches were done
and all information was processed.
No physical evidence related to the
odor was found at the scene or col-
lected through searches. We relied
on law enforcement to inform our
next steps. Pending the outcome of
a toxicology report, we felt it was
remiss to identify a specific sub-
stance of the source of the odor. We
are still waiting for the results of
that report. However, we trust the
experts and they conorm that the
deputy's symptoms were similar to
a fentanyl exposure.=
According to the Tribal Police
press release, Narcan, an overdose
treatment solution, was provided to
the school to minimize the risk of
future incidents, as well as a free
training from Tribal Police to stu-
dents and staff on how to recognize
fentanyl exposure.
<This is training that our de-
partment has already provided
previously at the school, but we
will continue to do so to ensure
our community members, school
partners and students are safe,=
the release stated.
The Willamina School District
estimates that approximately 40
percent of its students are Grand
Ronde Tribal members or descen-
dants. þ