AURORA | Despite a blizzard of concerns on social media overnight Wednesday, school officials said a series of school computer hackings and threats to shoot a Rangeview High School teacher in front of his students and bomb the school weren’t credible, and that school would be open today.
Teachers last night said they were pondering a “sickout” today over concerns that despite efforts by the school, the student making the threat hadn’t been identified, and that it was unclear what level of police investigation determined the level of danger to staff and students.
Last night, students, too, think they might be targeted and are passing social media messages to each other, telling each other they’re afraid.
“This teacher is scared to death, ” one fellow teacher said, asking not to be identified because the source was not authorized to speak to the media about the issue.
It’s unclear when threats started. One teacher said the first threat was Monday, but that additional threats may have come Wednesday.
“Did I ever tell you how gay you are and I f****** hate you – you can go die somewhere you f****** bitch I will come in your class and kill you right in front of all the kids I dont f****** care if they see,” the student said in the email. The email was sent to the Sentinel and is apparently moving to many school employees. “I hacked your email thats why I am sending you this to yourself for proof I told you not to make us do work but you didn’t do what I said so this is just getting started next pizza will come to your house them the cops will come and more stuff will happen so dont make us do work this is the LAST time I am saying this and here’s a link to all your info (LINK WITHHELD BY THE SENTINEL) so remember I am watching you in 7th but who I am you will see find out hahahahah.”
The student also used email to threaten a bomb for Thursday, the last day of the quarter.
APS spokeswoman Patti Moon said Wednesday night both APS and Aurora police investigated the threat at Rangeview and both deemed it not credible. But officials have not been able to identify the student who hacked the system or made the threats.
Police on Wednesday did not say who on the police force or what level of investigation was conducted and deferred comment to the school district.
School is scheduled to go forward as planned Thursday, Moon said.
Still, she added, there will be extra district security and extra police both at the school and in the area Thursday as a precaution.
“Obviously we take any threat like this very seriously,” Moon said.
Aurora police referred comment to APS school officials.
Teachers said that in light of recent shooting events involving students, the district and school needed to be forthcoming and clear about the incident, and haven’t been. Teachers talking with the Aurora Sentinel said the threatened teacher was unclear why the threat was deemed not credible and would not attend school, especially since the student had been able to avoid detection.
Numerous parents are now asking why the school said nothing to them when so many teachers and some students were aware of the threats.
Sources said that a student had hacked into the teacher’s email account and used it to send three threats this week to the same account. The student said he or she was angry about being given work by the instructor. The student provided a host of personal information about the teacher, including a home address, saying he had hacked the school system’s computers to retrieve it, according to sources.
One teacher said school officials tried to “triangulate” clues and narrowed students suspected of the threats to 16 kids and interviewed them. The teacher said that was inconclusive and officials still did know which student had made the threats.
Word of the threat was spreading among teachers, prompting some to contact the media and suggest a sickout if the student isn’t identified and apprehended. Students from Rangeview and other APS schools also posted comments on social media about a possible shooting on Thursday.
The message was graphic and menacing, saying that the student would get into the classroom and shoot the teacher dead in front of his students, and that the teacher wouldn’t know who the student was until a gun was pulled.
Teachers said it appears the same student hacked into other personal information and contacted at least three other teachers, making similar threats, mostly focused on bombing the school and making clear the student knew where they lived.
Teachers said that in light of the Aurora theater shooting and most recently the mass shooting at a community college at Roseburg, Oregon, last week, any threat — especially one this contrived and specific — warranted immediate investigation.
Sources said a fellow teacher with computer experience tried to track down the student unsuccessfully. School officials pulled in the Aurora Police school resource officers assigned to the school to assist them, but no one was able to track down the student’s identity.
Teachers said they’re afraid for themselves as well as other students, and they questions why there weren’t outside sources brought in to find the person. If school officials don’t close school tomorrow, the school may be overwhelmed by calling in sick early Thursday.
Any teachers involved in a sick out should have to produce a doctors note or forfeit pay for that day.
How ignorant are you ???
Ok genius, since you are so much smarter than the police, what is your threshold for caution? What if some idiot left a threatening note once a day? Also, if we started paying teachers to stay home when they felt “scared”, wouldn’t a lot of teachers take advantage of the situation?
UMMM! It’s not everyday a teachers life is threatened either. So your comment makes no sense.
My comment makes sense because the local police are not taking the threat seriously.
He’s extremely ignorant, a well known troll on these pages.
How many hundred school shootings have there been this year alone and this is all you’re thinking about?
Not even “an hundred.” What are you talking about?
Forget it, he’s a troll.
and you’re not?
Geez … people like you are afraid of your own shadow. The police have determined the threat is not credible … a sick prank. What would you do if someone cried wolf once a day, hide under your bed?
Oooo, you’re a real man! Mister tough guy!
Thank you. And you’re a whimpering crybaby.
With how the world is functioning now. Yes you preety much have to watch your back just going to the grocery store.
They’ve determined it’s not credible without even knowing who sent it? WHy should anyone trust that?
I disagree, teachers don’t make nearly enough money to deal with that. Would you want to go to work with the threat of being shot dead in front of your classroom full of students or being bombed? I think not.
He didn’t say they should want to go to work; he said if they didn’t show up, they shouldn’t be paid.
How much do teachers make? And how much do you think they should make?
30,000 to 35,000 a year is around what they make.
That’s not true or accurate at all. Every single teachers pay is different and it solely based on the college degrees that they have. Any teacher whether kindergarten or high school level with a PhD makes well over $100,000 annually Vs teachers with a bachelor’s or associates degree which range from $30,000-$50,000 annually. That’s why teachers are encouraged to take classes over summer break to further their education and degrees that way they can move up to the next pay rate. It’s all bases on degrees you learn this in your Economics class in high school.
Uh, no, that’s about the right range for a starting teacher. How many public school teachers do you know who have a PhD? And do you really think you learn what teachers make from having taken an economics class?
Not very many teachers have a PhD which is why they don’t make a lot of money. I’m not saying they do. And no I don’t think I learned what teachers make, I know I learned what teachers make. Being that it was an independent project on the topic we went to school board office and requested documents and the teacher salary breakdown, which we backed up with tons of other sources and research. So I’m sorry that you haven’t done the research or acquired the sources that prove what teachers in the county actually get paid and I have. I am right and there is no sense in arguing with me because I spent about 6 weeks on this project and the final outcome of my conclusions were all approved as being correct and accurate. Don’t even bother replying because at this point anything else you have to say is irrelevant. Thanks have a good day 🙂
It isn’t soley based on the college degrees. It’s generally a combination between years of service and education. And where on earth did you get that $100,000 figure? There are no teachers in Colorado who make that — in my district, a PhD with over 20 years experience tops out at about $70,000. And no one can become a teacher in Colorado with only an Associates degree. Apparently, your economics class was pretty bad.
In Jefferson County there are teachers who make over $100,000 annually. Especially if the teachers are AP or IB.
This so-called threat has been determined to be a prank … not credible. I would compare it to the squeak of a mouse rather than a lion’s roar. Some teachers are afraid of their own shadow. But if so, they should not expect to get paid for not working.
You really seem to have a low opinion of teachers.
Your stupid their life is more important than missing a day of school.
He didn’t say it wasn’t; he specified they shouldn’t be paid if they didn’t show up. Or do you believe in paying people not to work?
Really. Would you expect that if your life was threatened? This is about safety, not money.
I agree. Let them stay home without pay. Or, better yet, get another job.
Why don’t you go in replace the teacher/s who called out and see how comfortable you feel with a threat over your head.
Wow, ok you sign up and sacrifice your life to educate the kids. It seems you either don’t have kids or just silly. Why would you send your kid to get a education and chance dying. What is your life worth. The teachers did not cause the situation. They work everyday. Grow up. As far as what the kids are learning, try getting them off social media and they would be able to become educated. Yes so many people and parents allow their kids to get consumed with Facebook, chat, and other social media sites. learning is not just at the school level is also at the home level. so while you are determining who should risk their lives you might consider who should also join in helping their kids become educated. in addition is not just the teachers who have to worry about their lives but the students lives and safety as well.
You can either grow a spine or home school. Remember the words of FDR when he stated that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Time for you to grow up and stop having anxiety attacks.
Nowhere am I seeing law enforcement getting involved. Why?
There is the school resource involved and they have increased police presence on campus. Just another example of poor password protection. They might be able to narrow it down to a few hundred kids if they made the threats from a school computer. If any of the threats were made from a home computer they should be able to track the kid down in a matter of weeks. I hope the Aurora PD is smart enough to accomplish this.
They should get the Aurora Police Department IT crew on it and track the student down immediately. I know in Lakewood we had a similar situation about 2 years ago and they found the student within hours of the threat. I honestly think they’re not trying.
They have people there.
I have so many friends at rangeview i don’t want anyone getting hurt especially my brothers in law. They better all call out sick! This a threat to be taken seriously. I’ve seen some of those kids at rangeview. They are big trouble.
have so many friends at rangeview i don’t want anyone getting hurt especially my brothers in law. They better all call out sick! This a threat to be taken seriously. I’ve seen some of those kids at rangeview. They are big trouble.
All rangeview kids are not trouble. All schools everywhere have problem kids. Not just rangeview. Columbine had theirs. And no one expected it.
I said some of them not all
How do they know it was a student, and not someone in another state (or country?)
Seriously – the spelling is too good.
well when you are posting pics of yourself having intercourse on the internet with 4 men at the same time I bet you make great money!
This is not the forum for your solicitation. This is a serious issue, nobody cares about this scam your trying to promote!!!!! What an idiot.
I’m terrified now I have school today and there’s no way my mom’s letting me call in sick.
I go to rangeview
Reading the comments down below. I can tell you that yesterday officers were sitting in classrooms, taking attendance, asking questions, and keeping a close eye on students
No one-teacher, pastor, blue collar, white collar, student or prisoner, should have to go to work or perform their duties with the threat of loss of wages or other retaliation when their security has been jeopardized and proper precautions haven’t been taken. I think saying they shouldn’t be paid is ridiculous. Their life is worth more than a day’s pay. As a parent and a professional, I would not send my kids or go to the school myself until the situation is addressed appropriately.
Conceiled carry today at RHS, guaranteed!
Student just got suspended from asking the Rangeview adminstrative staff why they did not cancel school today.
Is that the actual reason they were suspended or did they come up with another reason to cover their butts?
I’m a former Rangeview teacher. After Columbine, I carried a piece almost every day. I know there are others who do the same. If the SHTF, I just hope a good guy double taps the little chicken $#!%.
I always said if I ever became a teacher I’d carry my gun every day. The easiest targets for a gunman are the places with rules against firearms. Teachers should not only be allowed to carry, but encouraged to do it.
As a student that attended RHS at the same time I am not sure whether to believe this.
Irregardless of who or where these threats came from, this school has to take it seriously and protect their students and staff. With all the school shootings happening across the nation, really, you are not taking it seriously? I have grandchildren who attend Rangeview and I definitely want them safe as well as all who are in the building. Better safe than sorry. Rangeview, I pray you are taking this serious and that all the negative comments posted about the school’s reaction to this are not true.
This is scary! My son goes to school right next door at Mracheck. When I dropped him off this morning, there was no police or anything, so I didn’t even know there was going on till I saw your post. You would think with this kind of threat they would have the school covered in police or something. Even if they think its a prank, they need to take precautions. Obviously, if the kid has the ability to send these threats without being caught, my has the ability to pull it off. They need to take this more seriously!
My son goes to Rangeview and there we’re cops there if you came around the front you would’ve seen them. And some we’re in unmarked cars.
Were
Check and read a paragraph on your message before you correct mine. IJS
??
I don’t see that you have posted any other comments?!? Lol
Since you want to get in on the conversation, and defend probably someone you don’t know, your right she didn’t post any other comments but if you read her main COMMENT you will see she didn’t say a paragraph right. DUH!!!! Don’t correct me unless all your I’s are dotted and your T’s are crossed!!!!!!
“You’re.” There are teachers on this thread, probably cringing more at the spelling than they are at the threat!
And they probably cringed that you did not state YOUR comment correctly!! DON’T BE MAD YOU GOT CALLED OUT ON YOUR FLAWS, IT’S LIFE.. Instead of worrying about me, worry about you. Don’t reply to me again Lesley!!! You attacked me for NO reason.
I didn’t. I don’t know what she’s talking about.
That was just school security i was one of the kids that got pulled into the office and got searched for this incident and they told me they wanted to keep this threat within the school
I went to high school at one Columbine’s sister schools and we had a similar incident on the 10th anniversary of that shooting. More than half the school called in sick despite the fact that the threat wasn’t credible. I went to school and it was actually really creepy.
Joe Hardin you must not have any kids or a heart to expect anyone to be at Rangeview today Why don’t you show up there and see if the threat is real!!! The teacher have a hard job as it is their saftey and the students saftey is more important than money
Chances are that little cowardly worm is sitting at his laptop right now (or cell phone) and monitoring the news articles and comments – gives him a buzz & a feeling of being empowered seeing all the attention his idiocy is receiving. So this message is to the idiot who did this & his zit-faced self: NOTHING on the internet is ever anonymous. Ever. You’ve committed a FEDERAL crime via your stupidity. If you had paid attention in school – you’d have known that a federal crime means the FBI becomes involved. Every computer action leaves a trail, right to your front door. You’d be wise at this point, to quietly turn yourself in and avoid the media circus that awaits you when the police surround your house.
And DPO wants to criticize educators for the report about APS failing its students – perhaps the students are failing APS.
I understand that kids have been making false threats to schools for years and I’m sure will continue to do so. The way that our world is today, I should constitute all threats being taken seriously. I do not understand how the school police could have deemed the threat not credible. I am generally a fairly level headed person and try to find facts on both sides of a story. In this case I am NOT finding much information about how they have made this determination. If the info is out there someone please tell me where to find it. It just seems like common sense to me that school should be out at least until the person is identified. Someone is smart enough to trace this back to the student. I absolutely would not send my kids to school until other measures had been taken. I’m so sorry to all the parents, students and teachers (especially the one targeted) that are going through this. Life is very scary now a days! Teachers should absolutely be able to carry a hand gun in school after they have proper training. We trust teachers all day to protect our children from harm and I, for one, would feel more at ease knowing they had access to a gun if a bad guy did get in the school!