The following is a letter that Bothell High School principal Bob Stewart released to parents and the community concerning the assault that occurred on campus on Thursday:

I wanted to provide you with an update on the incident that occurred Thursday. After school, a staff member was assaulted on campus by an unknown suspect and transported to the hospital for treatment. Police put the school in lockdown as a safety protocol to secure the school and conduct an investigation. The lockdown was lifted at 6:55 p.m.

We are happy to report that our teacher has been released from the hospital, and we appreciate all the continued thoughts and wishes for his full recovery. We are not releasing his name at this time out of respect for his privacy and until we have family permission. Police are investigating, and we working collaboratively to support their investigation and our school community. Anyone who has information is encouraged to contact the Bothell Police Department at 425-487-5551.

As Bothell Police have stressed, this is a highly unusual incident. Bothell Police and district security will have an additional presence on campus Monday as a precautionary measure. Here at Bothell High School safety is our top priority and we will continue to follow safety protocols for school safety. Bothell Police has commended our staff and students’ response during the lockdown. They believe it is a direct reflection of our school’s training and protocols. I would like to personally commend our staff and students for their outstanding efforts handling what, as you can imagine, was a stressful situation.

We chose to close school today because this is an active police investigation and school will resume on Monday, May 23. This incident can cause additional stress or anxiety and additional counseling support will be on hand Monday to support staff and students. Included are links to additional resources. Please talk with your child and let us know if you need additional support.

We have received many offers of help and are working with our PTA and local churches to coordinate an opportunity for students and community to come together to show support. Additionally, the Northshore Education Association has put out an all-call district-wide encouraging everyone to wear blue on Monday to show your support for our beloved teacher and Bothell High School. We look forward to seeing a sea of BLUE Monday as we welcome back students and staff.

We appreciate your adherence to our school safety protocols by following district visitor protocols, continuing to be vigilant in following safety procedures, keeping an eye out for one another and reporting any suspicious activities immediately. Thank you for your positive thoughts and support of our school community at this time.