ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – As a host of Colorado students plan to walk out of school Wednesday to protest gun violence in schools, Adams 12 Five Star Schools sent a letter home to parents Tuesday night saying they had received about 40 Safe2Tell reports regarding safety concerns.
Superintendent Chris Gdowski sent the letter shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday – about 13 hours before the walkouts are set to take place.
“We are writing to let you know that Adams 12 Five Star Schools has received a high volume (over 40 at this time) of anonymous Safe2Tell reports this evening raising safety concerns at each of our five comprehensive high schools (Horizon, Legacy, Mountain Range, Northglenn, and Thornton) for tomorrow March 14, 2018,” Gdowski wrote. “We have been in contact with neighboring school districts in the Denver-metro area and this is consistent with what they are experiencing.”
In the letter, the superintendent went on to say that he anticipates that the number of reports will continue through the morning to the tip line set up to report school threats.
He also encouraged parents to talk with their kids about whether or not they plan to walk out Wednesday, and to discuss safety guidelines should their students indeed leave class.
“I am deeply saddened that tomorrow’s planned focus on the pervasiveness of violence within our nation’s schools has been compromised by multiple threats of additional violence, but hope that this additional information allows you to talk to your child and make informed decisions about tomorrow’s activities,” Gdowski wrote.
Spokespeople for Denver Public Schools, JeffCo Schools and Douglas County Schools said they hadn’t been notified of an increase in Safe2Tell calls Tuesday night.
There was a massive increase in reports made to Safe2Tell regarding Colorado schools after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
The Colorado Attorney General's Office, which monitors the reports, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night. Colorado State Patrol, which takes the calls, said it had no way of knowing if there was a higher volume
Read more on the walkouts planned in Colorado here. Read Gdowski’s full letter home to parents embedded below or by clicking here.
