DENVER — Several Colorado schools were forced to increase patrols or outright cancel classes Monday after threats of potential mass shootings spread through messaging apps earlier in the day, in what appears to be a nationwide effort to disrupt learning.
Denver7 first received an email about the threats from a parent in Eagle County shortly after 6:15 a.m. Monday.
The messages appeared to show the threats spreading through WhatsApp, a messaging app that supports end-to-end encryption, a security method that prevents third parties from reading messages as they travel between phones.
In an update late Monday morning, a spokesperson with the Eagle County Sheriff's Office said the threat in the county involved "some schools" in the county, including Battle Mountain High School.
An official with the FBI Denver Field Office confirmed with Denver7 that they were aware of the threats against Eagle County School District, saying they were “poised to assist if we receive a request from our partners.”
Denver7 brought those concerns to Scott Pribble, a Denver Public Schools spokesperson, who told us they were “aware (of the situation) and have reported the threat to authorities.”
He said authorities were investigating and that schools across the district would have extra patrols Monday out of an abundance of caution.
This isn’t the first time Colorado has been part of a nationwide effort to disrupt learning, as Denver7 reported in February 2023
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In Greeley, Northridge High School was forced to cancel classes due to a “potential threat against our school that is circulating on social media,” a spokesperson said via a Facebook post Monday morning.
Explaining that the school takes any threat against students, teachers or staff seriously, the spokesperson said they were taking “advanced measures at the school today and will continue as needed.”
“Without knowing the origin of the threat, we must cancel school out of an abundance of caution. We regret having to make this decision,” the school official said.
An Englewood police spokesperson said just before 10 a.m. Monday that the Englewood Campus, which houses the Englewood High School, Middle School and Englewood Leadership Academy had been cleared by officers and K-9 units after the campus received a threat that an explosive device was inside the combined building.
Online threats part of nationwide attempt to disrupt learning
Authorities in New Jersey and Florida have arrested three juveniles in connection to separate online school threats.
In New Jersey, a threat was posted to social media and said a shooting would occur at five schools, according to local news outlet NBC10 Philadelphia.
As a result of the threats, classes at at least one school district would be canceled Monday.
In Florida, a 14-year-old high school student was arrested for "making written threats to kill or conduct mass shooting," according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
The girl, who posted the threats on Instagram — with one listing several schools that would be targeted — told police the posts were intended as a joke. She now faces numerous charges, including making written threats to kill/conduct a mass shooting.
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The threats in Florida and New Jersey come just days after authorities charged 14-year-old boy who they said opened fire on a Georgia high school last week, killing two students, two teachers, and injuring nine others.
A bill signed by Gov. Jared Polis last year makes false reporting of a mass shooting or active shooter in a public or private place a Class 1 misdemeanor “if the threat causes the occupants of a building, place of assembly, or facility to be issued a shelter-in-place order, the threat causes any disruptions or impacts to regular activities, or the threat results in the initiation of a standard response protocol in response to the false report.”
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