JOINT NEWS RELEASE

June 13, 2019

Media Contact:
Libby Siebens, WVC community relations executive director, 509-682-6436 (Mon.-Thurs.)
Maria Agnew, WVC safety, security and emergency manager, 509-682-6659
Brian Burnett, Chelan County sheriff, 509-667-6851

There will be a presentation on “Making Schools Safer” by Alissa Parker, co-founder of Safe & Sound Schools, on Monday, June 17. The presentation will take place from 6-8 p.m. in The Grove Recital Hall at the WVC Music and Art Center. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. This event is presented in partnership with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, the Criminal Justice Training Center and the North Central Educational Service District.

Parker is the mother of Emilie Parker, one of the 20 children who died tragically in the Sandy Hook School shootings on December 14, 2012. In the wake of the shooting, Parker was moved to engage parents in securing the safety of their children in school. Parker will share her personal story and recount the lessons learned in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School tragedy. She will share how she has chosen to help school communities improve safety in honor of her daughter and in memory of the other 19 children and six teachers who died in the shootings.

After the Sandy Hook School shooting, Parker became an active member of the Newtown Public Schools’ Safety Committee and has become passionate about school security and safety, as well as traveling, listening and learning in school communities across the United States. Parker graduated from Weber State University in her hometown of Ogden, Utah. She is co-founder of The Emilie Parker Art Connection, which supports art programs for kids across the country, and the author of the book “An Unseen Angel, a Memoir of Faith, Hope, and Healing.”

Parker will also be presenting for free at the Confluence Technology Center on Monday from 1-3:30 p.m. Attendees must register to attend this afternoon event.

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu. 

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
• To request disability accommodations: Student Access Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.