Cheney Public Schools is pleased to announce that Officer Brad King, an Airway Heights Police Officer, has been selected to serve as a Youth Engagement Specialist (YES) Officer in the district. Officer Brad comes to the district through an ongoing collaborative partnership with the Airway Heights Police Department, the City of Airway Heights, and with the support of the Cheney Police Department. Officer Brad will join Officer Pat Carbaugh, also from the AHPD, in serving the ten schools in the district. Officer Brad will be scheduled to work in our schools Tuesday through Friday, while Officer Pat will be in our schools Monday through Thursday.

Officer Brad King has served with Airways Heights Police Department for four years. Prior to his tenure with Airway Heights PD Officer Brad worked for the Central Washington University Police Department from 2014 to 2018, and before that with the Washington State Division of Prisons as a corrections officer from 2010 to 2014. Officer Brad is highly praised by his colleagues and supervisors as an excellent, detail oriented, and community focused police officer. He is known for his communication skills and ability to relate with children and teens.

Cheney Public Schools congratulates Officer Brad King on his selection as a YES Officer. Please join us in welcoming him to the district!

Press Release PDF

May 27, 2022

Parents, Guardians, and Staff Members,

Horrifically, on Tuesday nineteen children and two adults were killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. I was in a lunch meeting with a colleague who was sharing information about the Launch NW opportunity scholarship when I heard this tragic news. The scholarship mentioned is designed to help every high school graduate in Spokane County access post-secondary learning opportunities. Driving away from this meeting, I felt sick to my stomach as I contemplated the reality that the students who were killed in Texas would never realize their hopes and dreams; life was stolen from them. I can’t fathom the pain the families, staff, school, and greater community must feel at this time. As I write today a quote shared after this senseless act comes to mind, “Dear children of the world, it’s not supposed to be like this.”

Following Tuesday’s school shooting, I have been contacted by several parents and community members, each expressing concerns about the safety of their child(ren) and district protocols and safety measures. One conversation in particular sticks out as a mother expressed her fear for her children following the killings in Texas. She struggled with the thought of sending her students back to school the next day. Maybe the quote I shared above should be altered to, “Dear families and children of the world, it’s not supposed to be like this.” As a society, we should not have to worry about the safety of our children while they are in caring and secure environments such as our schools.

This senseless and horrific killing must stop and the answer is not to simply continue in the same manner as a nation and hope for better outcomes. There must be a concerted effort to address this issue at the local, regional, state, and national levels. In my mind this is not a partisan issue (Democrat or Republican) but an issue of humanity.

Within Cheney Public Schools there are safety measures and procedures in place to keep our students and staff safe in our schools. While this is the case, it is important to review and analyze these procedures and systems to evaluate their integrity and constantly seek ways to improve. Safety systems currently in place across our district include a single point of entry at schools, ensuring exterior doors other than our main entries are locked, and intercom and lockdown systems/protocols. This week our Maintenance and Operations and IT directors analyzed safety systems in each of our schools. Today I met with both directors and our YES (Youth Engagement Specialist) officer to discuss items we can immediately improve/correct and longer-range items/plans for added safety measures. Lastly, while we have regular drills, a thorough review of procedures related to safety scenarios by our building administrators in conjunction with our SRO and YES officer will occur.

As part of a concerted local effort to ensure our schools are safe, I want to remind everyone (staff, students and families) to increase our situational awareness. Collectively, let’s listen closely to what is being said by students (and community members) and watch and observe for changes in behavior that may be a cause for concern. In addition, let’s remind our children to “say something” when they “see something that doesn’t seem right” (including from social media).  And, as a final reminder for students and adults, report any concerning behaviors and issues to school leadership and/or local law enforcement, and if any member of our community notices that our safety procedures are not being followed, please report the situation to the appropriate school’s office right away.

In closing, let’s care for one another and, as a community, rally together to do better for our future; our children.

In partnership,

Rob Roettger