Case Analysis & Rationale 1

From Rookie to Reality Case Analysis and Rationale Template

Part 1: Case Analysis

1. Brief summary of the case:

Shoreline Elementary is a very small school and consists of 720 students ranging from
Kindergarten to 5th grade. It is a highly respected school and known for its low behavior
rates and high parental involvement. While serving as assistant principal at another local
school, I was asked to step in as principal of Shoreline when the principal fell ill. The
transition to Shoreline was smooth and I was received well. I had a great mentor from
my prior school and was able to use the knowledge I learned from him to assume this
role. I am extremely hopeful that I will meet all expectations and permanently take on
the job.
After two weeks in my new position my old school had to evacuate due to a potential
bomb being outside of a classroom. After the bomb squad arrived it was found out to be
a homemade bomb and was defused. The incident was in the local news and became a
huge concern across the district. Shortly after the incident, while getting ready to
welcome the students, a student and their parent frantically approached reporting what
looked like another homemade bomb across the street. Upon walking over, I see a small
metal object with tape on each end.

2. Identify the issues to be resolved:

Notify the proper authorities of this potential bomb and immediately evacuate the
premises to ensure safety of all students.

3. Stakeholders involved in the issues:

The stakeholders involved would be myself, other administrators, staff/students and
parents, district administration, and the police.

4. One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues:

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Case Analysis & Rationale 2

Wynar v. Douglas (2013) – a ruling was made that due to the heightened risk of school
shootings and threats, that any “suggestion of a bomb threat” must be taken seriously and
immediate actions and precautions must be taken.
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1642928.html

5. District policies that relate to the issues:

Based on the information provided in the case, I would say that the district requires
immediate action to be taken in the instance of any bomb threat and/or potential bomb,
especially in light of the recent incidents. I know in my local school district bomb threats
are equally as serious and the policy states “Failure to comply with this policy will result
in termination and/or legal action. Bomb threats will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of
the law.” (NSCSD, 2020)
https://www.nscsd.org/tfiles/folder1273/CNS%20Handbook.pdf

6. Possible solutions to the issues:

In this scenario I strongly feel that there is only one possible solution. Immediately
contact the police and district officials. Evacuate the premises. The only major decision
would be whether to redirect the students to another facility or send them home and
notify when it is safe to return to school.

7. The solution you chose to resolve the issues:

First, I contact the police immediately to get them and the necessary authorities on
campus. I would have all staff help to notify and redirect the parents and busses away
from the school. For the time being, all busses would be redirected to an alternate safe
location and redirect any parents to either return home with their children or also go to
the alternate location with the busses until it was deemed safe to return to the building
and resume the school day.

8. Action steps (2-5) for implementing your solution, including a timeline for each step:
This process would be very immediate and very quick. I would take the proper steps to
ensure safety and have the bomb defused and removed so as to return to our regular day.
Once it was deemed safe by the proper authorities, I would call the busses make and
notify parents that it was safe and resume the school day so as not to allow any
interruption with our academics. I would be sure to make a statement notifying the

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Case Analysis & Rationale 3

families and the community that we are safe, and the necessary precautions have been
taken.

9. Potential moral and legal consequences of the solution:

As with any bomb threat or any situation that compromises the safety of the students,
there will be backlash and criticism from the community, parents, staff members etc. As
principal I need to reiterate that the situation was dealt with promptly and properly and
that the students were never put at risk. As for the bomb itself, if they individual was
found that planted it, there would be extreme legal measures taken and they would be
prosecuted to the fullest.

Part 2: Rationale

Support the case analysis with a 500-750 word rationale explaining the decision you made and
how the decision:
 Supports the school’s vision and mission and safeguards the values of democracy,
equity, and diversity.
 Promotes social justice and ensures that individual student needs inform all aspects of
schooling.
 Promotes collaboration, trust, learning, and high expectations.
Cite the case and any other source documents as appropriate.

Shoreline Elementary is a very small school and consists of 720 students ranging from

Kindergarten to 5th grade. It is a highly respected school and known for its low behavior rates

and high parental involvement. While serving as assistant principal at another local school, I

was asked to step in as principal of Shoreline when the principal fell ill. The transition to

Shoreline was smooth and I was received well. I had a great mentor from my prior school and

was able to use the knowledge I learned from him to assume this role. I am extremely hopeful

that I will meet all expectations and permanently take on the job. After two weeks in my new

position my old school had to evacuate due to a potential bomb being outside of a classroom.

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Case Analysis & Rationale 4

After the bomb squad arrived it was found out to be a homemade bomb and was defused. The

incident was in the local news and became a huge concern across the district. Shortly after the

incident, while getting ready to welcome the students, a student and their parent frantically

approached reporting what looked like another homemade bomb across the street. Upon walking

over, I see a small metal object with tape on each end.

As principal, the students’ safety is my first and foremost concern. In addition to the

students I need to ensure that the staff and families of our students are safe as well. As part of

our mission and vision to provide a safe, nurturing environment for our students, it is my duty to

do everything I can to ensure their safety at all costs. Evacuation of the campus is the only

solution to do that while the proper authorities take every necessary precaution to secure the

campus. Under PSEL Standard 5, it states that is our duty to “build and maintain a safe, caring,

and healthy school environment that meets that the academic, social, emotional, and physical

needs of each student” (PSEL, 2020). By taking these steps that is exactly what I am doing in

my administrative role. As a result of the precautionary measures, I am confident that there will

be some backlash, from not only parents and staff but from the community and the media as

well. I need to remain diligent in my statements that the safety of the students is and always will

be my priority and I will do whatever I can to ensure that.

With the increasing number of bomb threats and school shootings, schools across the

board are tightening up their policies and take serious legal action on any and all threats. In the

case of Wynar v. Douglas, a ruling was made that due to the heightened risk of school shootings

and threats, that any “suggestion of a bomb threat” must be taken seriously and immediate

actions and precautions must be taken (Caselaw, 2020). This goes in accordance with the zero-

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Case Analysis & Rationale 5

tolerance policy and the consequences can be very severe. In any of these cases or instances we

must be reactive and act with the best interest and the safety of our students in mind regardless of

any backlash or criticisms that we may receive.

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