Garfield High School to reopen Monday, following nearby shootings, threats

Garfield and Nova high schools, in Seattle’s Central District, will reopen for in-person classes on Monday, after the two schools had closed their campuses Friday following a string of nearby shootings and a reported threat of further gun violence.

None of the three recent shootings involved students, but they did prompt increased security on campus, according to the Seattle Police Department and previous statements from Garfield Principal Tarance Hart.

Hart and Nova Principal Eyva Winet, in letters to families and staff on Saturday, said the school campuses closed Friday after school officials received a “tip about a potential threat of gun violence in our neighborhood.”

“The safety of our school community is my highest priority,” the principals wrote.

Both in-person classes and all after school activities will resume on Monday, they wrote.

Seattle Public Schools has contracted for additional security to be outside both schools all week, the principals wrote, and there will be additional support from the district’s safety and security team. Seattle police will also be starting a patrol emphasis in the area to provide a police presence, they wrote.

Garfield will host a meeting about safety and security for students, families and staff on Monday evening at 7 p.m.

The threat on Thursday prompted the closure of not just the two high schools, but also the city-owned Garfield Teen Life Center, Garfield Community Center and Medgar Evers Pool. Seattle Parks and Recreation reopened the centers and pool Friday. The schools canceled all events on Friday and through the weekend, including the opening performance of Garfield’s spring musical.

The spate of recent shootings in the area began on May 18, as Garfield’s track and softball teams were practicing on campus, according to Hart. A 19-year-old man, who was not a student, was found with gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Teen Life Center, according to police. He was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Students practicing nearby sheltered in school buildings until police arrived and cleared the scene, Hart previously said.

On May 24, at 26th Avenue and East Jefferson Street, a block from Garfield’s campus, police said they found shell casings and a bullet hole in a parked vehicle. No victims were found.

The most recent shooting happened the night of May 26, near the Teen Life Center. Officers found a man who had been shot and a semiautomatic handgun near 25th Avenue and East Jefferson Street, according to police. The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

“Folks need to know that we are seeking help or seeking partnership to really curb this gun violence,” Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones said Friday. “It’s something that is a citywide issue that impacts our students.”

Jones released updates on two school safety reviews Friday, one districtwide and one prompted by the November killing of a 17-year-old student at Ingraham High School.