AURORA | Following two shootings outside APS high schools the week leading up to Thanksgiving, neighboring Cherry Creek School District reports that it has experienced a rise in rumors and threats of gun violence being shared by students over social media.
Over the past several weeks the district has investigated several threats of potential violence at middle and high schools. None of them were found to be credible, district spokesperson Abbe Smith told the Sentinel, and no classes were canceled or moved online in response.
In a Dec. 9 message to district families, Superintendent Chris Smith said that increasingly, students are spreading these rumors through social media and text messages.
“We are finding that in many cases, students hear about rumors or threats and continue to share them on social media instead of reporting the threat to the school, police or Safe2Tell,” he said. “We are talking with students about responsible use of social media and what to do if they see information online that is potentially harmful or dangerous. We are also asking for your support in talking with your child about the impact that spreading rumors or posting threats can have on our communities.”
If students are told about a potential threat, they should report it to an adult at school, the police or anonymously through Safe2Tell, he said. Tips can be submitted 24/7 online at safe2tell.org or by calling 1-877-542-7233.
Anyone who is found responsible for posting a threat, even as a prank, will face consequences including discipline or expulsion, the letter said, and potentially legal charges as well. The district did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether any students have been identified so far.
Matthew Longshore, a spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department, said that the department works with Safe2Tell to respond to threats to schools and that it has two officers staffed at each high school.
At the district’s school board meeting Monday night, board members and superintendent Smith extended their sympathies to APS along with the students at Oxford High School in Michigan, where four students were killed in a shooting on Nov. 30.
School board director Angela Garland said that threats of gun violence, even when unfounded, only cause parents and students unnecessary anxiety during what has already been a challenging school year for many.
“There is nothing funny about gun violence,” she said.