BOULDER — Having play at the playground has been hard to come by at Flatirons Elementary School in Boulder.
Three times in the last week, a mama bear and her three cubs have hanging around the outskirts of the campus.
"They were causing us not to be able to have recess and be outside," said fourth-grader Cole Vangelis. "It was pretty scary when they said there was a lockout."
A "lockout" is a formal district procedure when no one is allowed in or out of the building while operations continue normally inside. Since last week, Flatirons has been on lockout status three times because of bears.
While fifth-grader Kacie Pirritt understands the need for student safety, classmate Franki Erben appreciates the opportunity she and her classmates are experiencing.
"I thought it was really cool because usually, I don't see a whole family of bears," Franki said.
Fourth-grader Elan Greenstreet is glad that law enforcement and conservation officers left the bears alone allowing them to move away on their own each time.
"I think they were just chilling out in the shade," Elan said. "I love wildlife, so, I'm happy about it."
Since the beginning of the school year, Boulder Valley Schools have had to declare a lockout six times at different schools because of bears.
