The Whitefish School District conducted a sound background check prior to hiring Matthew David Dye, said a statement issued by the district last week.  

Dye, the accused shooter of Lincoln County Deputy Ryan Terpsma and 46-year-old Merrisa Walker, died at a Missoula County Detention Facility last week. The City of Missoula Police Department is investigating Dye's death. 

Dye previously worked periodically as a substitute teacher at Muldown Elementary School. 

"Our district maintains rigorous screening and hiring protocols for all staff and substitutes prior to employment and working in our schools," Superintendent Lisa Bloom and Assistant Superintendent Josh Branstetter said in the statement released the Monday after the Friday, Oct. 30 incident. "These include mandatory state and federal background checks, fingerprinting, and a thorough reference screening process.   

"Upon reviewing this individual's records, we verified that every requirement was fully satisfied with no cause for concern identified. In addition, our administrative team actively monitors and supports substitute personnel throughout the school day."   

A secondary statement from the district sent to families and staff on Nov. 7 provided further clarification on the rigor of background checks conducted on all employees including Dye.  

The district conducts comprehensive background checks on all prospective employees, substitutes, and authorized personnel, the statement from Bloom and Branstetter said.  

"This screening process includes state and federal fingerprint-based criminal history checks via the Department of Justice and the FBI, as well as required registry checks. We hold our vetting protocols to the highest legal and standard requirements before allowing any individual into our classrooms." 

The statement said that inaccurate information has been shared in the community regarding Dye's background. The statement says that Dye's background check "yielded no disqualifying offenses under federal or state law."