Classes resume Friday after ‘suspicious incident’

BOULDER – Classes resumed at Boulder High School the day after police searched the school when a suspicious incident prompted it to close.

Boulder Police were called Thursday after an employee saw two people in camouflage inside the school.

At a 2 p.m. news conference, Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said a room-by-room search of the school finished without finding anyone hiding inside. Another search ended around 3:30 p.m., with investigators going through the school with staff members who are familiar with it, to make sure there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Authorities say a cafeteria worker arrived at the school Thursday around 6 a.m. and saw two men inside wearing camouflage. One had a ski mask. Beckner says it was a credible sighting.

No weapons were seen and there were no signs of a break-in at the school.

Boulder Valley School District Communications Director Briggs Gamblin says the worker contacted both police and district officials after the sighting.

"We don't know if it was a threat at all," said Beckner. "It could have been a prank, we don't know."

The school was released to the district on Thursday afternoon.

Officials decided to reopen for school on Friday, but say classes are resuming with more police and district security on campus.

School officials also say they plan to open the building later for the rest of the school year. Doors will now open at 7 a.m.

There are video cameras on the exterior of the school, but Beckner says they were not very useful. However, he says the video recorded two people running eastbound from the school around 5 a.m., but he says he is not sure if that is connected to the school closure.

Around 4:30 a.m., a witness told police she saw around three to four people on the bike path behind the school dressed in black and one was wearing a ski mask. She says they exchanged pleasantries and one asked her if she had dropped anything.

Beckner acknowledged that incidents of school violence during the past 10 years have changed the way police respond to these situations.

"That's why we've taken the approach we've taken," Beckner said. "We can't take any chances."

Classes normally begin at 7:30 a.m. but they were cancelled for Thursday as authorities have spent the entire day conducting a room-by-room search of the facility.

Thursday morning, Julie Brooks, spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department, said all entrances were closed off during the searches and the school remains under lockdown.

Both Brooks and Gamblin stress that no threats have been received and this activity is in response to the suspicious incident.

"I do think our schools are safe," said Beckner. "We can't make our schools prisons."

Thursday morning's report prompted the University of Colorado at Boulder to temporarily close 19 buildings but they say all events and exams will continue as normal. Students and staff are urged to report any suspicious persons or behavior to the CU Police Department at 303-492-6666 or call 911.