Central Oregon’s education, public safety, and health leaders are coming together once again to keep schools safe and students thriving.
On Wednesday, November 19, at 8 a.m., officials from across the region will meet at the High Desert Education Service District (2804 SW 6th St, Redmond) for the annual Safe Schools Alliance (SSA) signing event — highlighting a long-standing partnership dedicated to preventing school violence and promoting student well-being.
At the event, leaders will sign an updated Memorandum of Support and Participation, reaffirming their united commitment to collaboration across schools, law enforcement, and mental health agencies.
“Maintaining safe and supportive schools is essential not only to learning but to the health of our communities,” said Jim Boen, Regional Director of Mental & Behavioral Health for HDESD. “Through proactive collaboration and shared responsibility, we create conditions where every student feels safe, valued, and connected—the very foundation of the Safe Schools Alliance.”
A Partnership Built on Prevention
The Safe Schools Alliance was created in 1998 after the tragic Thurston High School shooting in Springfield, Oregon. In response, Deschutes County launched CRASH (Crime Reduction at School Houses) — which evolved into today’s SSA, now serving Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties.
What began as a local response has grown into a national model for how communities can work together to keep schools safe.
Throughout the year, SSA members tackle key issues such as bullying prevention, sex trafficking, school violence prevention, and campus safety. They coordinate joint training sessions, conduct facility safety reviews, and develop strategies to build positive school climates.
Agencies Participating in 2025 Include:
- Bend Fire and Rescue
- Bend Police Department
- Bend-La Pine Schools
- Black Butte Ranch Police Department
- Cascades Academy
- Crook County District Attorney
- Crook County Fire and Rescue
- Crook County Juvenile Justice
- Crook County Sheriff’s Office
- Crook County School District
- Culver School District
- Department of Human Services – Child Welfare (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties)
- Deschutes County Behavioral Health
- Deschutes County District Attorney
- Deschutes County Juvenile Justice
- Deschutes County Health Services
- Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
- High Desert Education Service District
- Jefferson County Education Service District
- Jefferson County District Attorney
- Jefferson Fire District
- Jefferson County Juvenile Justice
- Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
- Jefferson County School District
- La Pine Rural Fire Protection District
- Prineville Police Department
- Redmond Fire and Rescue
- Redmond Police Department
- Redmond School District
- Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District
- Sisters School District
- St. Francis School
- Sunriver Fire Department
- Sunriver Police Department
- Trinity Lutheran School
For more information about the Safe Schools Alliance, visit the SSA webpage.
“Maintaining safe and supportive schools is essential not only to learning but to the health of our communities. Through proactive collaboration and shared responsibility, we create conditions where every student feels safe, valued, and connected—the very foundation of the Safe Schools Alliance.”
— Jim Boen, Regional Director of Mental & Behavioral Health, HDESD