Superintendent's Office

The superintendent provides leadership for the district and is ultimately responsible for all areas of the district’s operation. The superintendent provides executive leadership and administrative direction for all departments, services and programs, and is responsible for proposing and implementing long-range plans.

Dr. Mickelson has served as the superintendent of Eugene School District 4J since July 1, 2025.

From the Superintendent 

Dear 4J Community,

We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic shooting at Bend's Silver Rail Elementary School today. It shakes parents, guardians and educators to our core when violence enters our schools, our precious children, and the adults who care for them every day. Our hearts go out to the families and staff in Bend-La Pine, and to those in our own community with loved ones there.

We are reminded that these tragedies can happen anywhere at any time. It is important to work together as a strong, caring community to follow the safety practices that we have in place and to be prepared to support our students and one another in a crisis.

I wanted to take this opportunity to not only extend my deepest sympathy with the Bend-La Pine community but also to share some reminders of how we prepare and train for safety in our schools:

• We urge staff, students and families to share any concerning information about possible violence: "See or Hear Something, Say Something!" Talk to a trusted adult and the information will be shared with administrators and authorities. In partnership with the Oregon State Police, Eugene School District 4J uses the Safe Oregon tip line, and reports can even be made anonymously: https://www.safeoregon.com/report-a-tip/.
• Our 4J School Safety team and local law enforcement investigate concerns and take appropriate action when needed. If there is a safety situation, we use our standard response protocols of Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuation or Shelter, and notify families and staff by email, text and sometimes phone call. To learn more about how 4J schools may respond to crisis situations to support student and employee safety, visit the I Love U Guys Foundation. 
• We use ParentSquare to communicate quickly with our families, and while everyone will receive messages at their school-registered emails and mobile phones, we also encourage parents to download and use the ParentSquare app, available on the Apple App Store or Google Play. 
• Our school staff train on our response protocols regularly throughout the year, conducting drills with students and reviewing and practicing our emergency procedures. We take this preparation very seriously. We ask parents, in an actual emergency, to follow the directions given by the school district and law enforcement. That would mean staying away from the site of an incident, allowing authorities to do their work, and watching for instructions on where to go for reunification with students as they are safely released to families. 
• Our schools received many security upgrades because of the support of our local voters through the 2018 capital bond. Those include improved perimeter fencing, modern security entries and vestibules that can be easily secured from inside, security cameras and advanced notification systems. 

We hope this gives you an idea of how we prepare for the unexpected, to keep students safe. We value working with families and all of our community partners to keep our schools safe and healthy places where our children can learn and grow. 

Once again, our sympathies are with the students, staff, and families of Bend-La Pine in this difficult time, and our ongoing care is with our students, families and staff in 4J. As I think about today’s horrific tragedy, I am heartbroken for Bend-La Pine. At the same time, I am deeply grateful for our 4J community’s deep and abiding care for our children. Thank you so much for caring for our students and for each other. 

In community,

— Dr. Miriam Mickelson

Learn more about Dr. Miriam Mickelson