Photo by Jeff Laydon, Pagosa Photography.
I got a phone call from a friend on Friday, asking me what I knew about a student who’d been suspended for “threatening to shoot up the school”.
The student had made a statement — I was told — that had been overheard by a teacher and some fellow students, and as a result had been suspended for one day.
My friend had gotten her information from a parent with a student attending Pagosa Springs Middle School.
I had not heard anything about the event, but the Daily Post did, later, receive a press release from Archuleta School District, sharing a letter sent to families by Superintendent Rick Holt.
The letter was purposely vague, to “uphold confidentiality” — a common concern when juveniles are involved.
Dear Families,
I want to begin by reassuring you that our schools are safe. Local law enforcement and building administrators did an excellent job following safety procedures to ensure that our students would be provided the opportunity to attend school safely. For families that opted to keep their students at home, we understand and support your right to make decisions that you feel are best for you and your family.
Law enforcement continues to investigate the incident and has reported the following, “Subjects of this investigation have been identified and located. Additional law enforcement has been placed at the schools as a precaution only. This is a continued investigation and there is no known threat to public safety currently.”
This is excellent news and a testament to the dedicated and effective efforts of local law enforcement. We are grateful to have such excellent community partners.
We want to apologize for the vagueness of our message. Due to this being an ongoing investigation, the school district is obligated to uphold confidentiality and will not take on the role of providing information related to law enforcement investigations. We feel strongly that accurate information comes from the source. As we were not the investigating entity, we believe that law enforcement should provide relevant factual information. Please rely on law enforcement and other public agencies for reliable accurate information and do your best to avoid rumors and speculation.
We also feel it is important to address the timing of the message. We would have preferred to release that message prior to buses departing to pick up students. There have been concerns about the timing interfering with parents’ and staff’s ability to make safety decisions for their families and themselves. We apologize for the delay in sending the message. We understand the importance of timely communication and the inconvenience and uncertainty this may have caused. We will take measures to ensure that this does not happen again in the future and strive to improve our communication process.
To further help us improve our practice we will continue to work closely with local law enforcement to improve our response. We will work with building leaders and staff, the School Board, and the District Accountability Committee to gather feedback on improving responses and communications related to student safety issues. If you have concerns or suggestions you would like to contribute we encourage you to contact us directly at (970) 264-2228 or attend our School Board meeting in the middle school library on April 11 at 6 pm.
In closing, these are difficult times in our country. Schools continue to be in the spotlight for violence rather than for the critical role they have played in providing a safe environment for quality education. Our schools care deeply for the well-being of all our students. We will continue to show up and provide the resources and support our students need to be successful. Because incidents like today are extremely concerning to students, parents, and staff we are sharing these resources as an opportunity to address those concerns.
Rick Holt
Superintendent
Archuleta County School District 50JT
Additionally, the Pagosa Springs Police Department posted the following to social media on Friday morning. Again, purposely vague.
Threat Investigation
Last night March 30, 2023, the Pagosa Springs Police Department received a report of a threat made via social media about one of the area schools in the district.
The police department has been working with the school district and other law enforcement agencies to address this concern.
Subjects of this investigation have been identified and located.
Additional law enforcement has been placed at the schools as a precaution only.
This is a continued investigation and there is no known threat to public safety currently.
The Pagosa Springs Police Department and the Archuleta County School District believe the safety and security of our schools is paramount, and are working to address and resolve this matter.
William R. Rockensock
Chief of Police
As we might note, neither of these messages identified the school involved… nor what ‘social media’ message had been identified… nor what steps the district had taken concerning the student… nor whether it was in fact a student who had posted the message.
A later report was posted in the Pagosa Springs SUN on Friday, from Chief Rockensock. It read in part:
The Pagosa Springs Police Department investigated a threat made via social media about one of the area schools in Pagosa Springs.
The police department has been working diligently with the school district and other law enforcement agencies regarding this incident.
Today, officers and deputies of the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office provided additional security to all area schools as a precaution.
The investigation has determined the suspect to be a 16-year-old juvenile male. The juvenile suspect is a resident of another state. Law enforcement in that jurisdiction has been in constant contact with the juvenile. There are no other suspects regarding this incident.
Due to the age of the suspect no other identifying information can or will be released under Colorado law.
A Colorado District Court warrant has been issued for the arrest of the juvenile for Interference with staff, faculty, or students of an educational institution C.R.S. 18-9-109.
The Pagosa Springs Police Department makes the safety and security of our schools a top priority. The police department wishes to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with the investigation and providing security to the schools.
Additionally, the department wishes to thank the public’s patience and understanding during this important investigation.