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Positive School Environment

Healthy Schools

The Healthy Schools partnership with Deschutes County weaves public health programs into our school systems, promoting the importance of mental health support and interventions and creating a more nurturing learning environment.

The mission of Healthy Schools is to provide public health services directly within schools and school communities using collaborative, systemic, and integrative approaches so that students, families, and school staff in Deschutes County have access to high quality health programs.

Safe, Healthy Learning Environments

Safe schools are fundamental to students' school successes and achievements. Providing a safe and orderly school environment is an ever-present priority of Bend-La Pine Schools. Here, school safety is addressed through a comprehensive approach that focuses on planning, prevention, intervention and response. Systems and programs are in place that create caring school communities where students and staff feel safe and supported. Bend-La Pine Schools is committed to ensuring psychologically safe, healthy learning environments. To learn more about our planning, prevention, intervention and response to crisis situations, visit our Health & Wellness, Student Support Resources and Safety webpages.

Safe Schools Alliance Partnerships

Key to the process of building and maintaining safe schools is the development of active partnerships among schools, parents/guardians, and communities. Bend-La Pine Schools is a founding partner of the Safe Schools Alliance (established in 1998). The goal of the alliance is to provide safe and secure school environments through community and interagency partnerships among students, parents, education, mental health, community justice and law enforcement. This network of regional school districts and partner agencies meets monthly to share information, discuss items of common interest and concern, advise member agencies on the adoption of policy and explore curriculum and programs that increase positive school climates for our students and the region’s students.

Safety Resources for Parents

Our partners share valuable resources with our community, from FBI tips for safe internet surfing to locations from law enforcement offering free gun locks and safe weapons storage information to maps with safe biking and walking routes to school. For more information, please visit our Safety webpage.

Suicide Prevention

Bend-La Pine Schools has a comprehensive suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention plan. Each school/program has staff trained to screen for suicide and procedures on how to respond, which always includes communication with the parent/guardian. For more information about specific school-based suicide prevention programs, please go to bls.fyi/policyreg and see JHH-AP: Student Suicide Prevention and, our Suicide Prevention Protocol.

Tip and Talk Lines for Students

Bend-La Pine Schools makes the First Step app, an app to connect students to tip lines and mental and physical health resources, available on the iPads assigned to all students in grades 6-12.

Inside First Step, students will find resources like, “3 Ways to Help a Friend,” “Getting Through Today,” contacts for free counseling and two featured resources: SafeOregon Tip Line and YouthLine.

  • SafeOregon — students can report anything from vandalism to theft to cyberbullying via text or phone, email, or online, through the app.
  • YouthLine — a free and confidential teen-to-teen help line.

For more information, please visit our Mental Health Resources webpage.

Weapons Prohibited

No person on grounds of the schools controlled by the Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools (including in school buildings) shall bring to, possess, conceal or use a weapon or firearm at any property under the jurisdiction of Bend-La Pine Schools, any activities under the jurisdiction of the district, or any interscholastic activities administered by a voluntary organization (i.e., Oregon School Activities Association). This prohibition includes those who may otherwise be permitted by law to carry such weapons or firearms.