Dear Arapahoe High School Students, Families, and Staff:
Thank you for your patience and understanding today regarding our scheduling change, which was necessitated by a threat deemed “not credible” after investigation. We have learned through the Colorado Department of Public Safety that multiple districts in Colorado received similar threats today.
We take the safety of students and staff very seriously, and we worked as quickly as we could to shift our day in order to ensure our building was thoroughly checked and cleared by our SROs, law enforcement, and LPS Security.
Even though our day started late, it progressed as normally as possible with a modified schedule. Many factors went into our decision to resume the school day. Your safety and the safety of students are always our top priority. We followed our district protocol and collaborated closely with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, LPS Security, Operations, IT, and building administration. We cannot succumb to the acts of others who are trying to instill fear in our students, staff, and community.
We are so appreciative of everyone who responded so quickly this morning to make sure our building was safe. We are also grateful to our colleagues at Powell Middle School, who helped supervise Arapahoe students who were on the bus and headed to school when the decision to delay school was made.
Disruptions like this can be alarming and scary. School and district mental health professionals are available should anyone need additional support. You can also find resources for how to talk about difficult topics on the LPS Mental Health Resources page. Please also remind your students to be cautious about what they read or see on social media, which can exacerbate situations like this by spreading misinformation. For example, there is a threatening post on Snapchat that many students have seen today. Arapahoe County Deputies have told us this is an old photo that has been circulated on social media for a couple of years. It is being re-sent to students to capitalize on current emotions and elicit fear. Law enforcement is investigating this post. If your student has a concern or any specific information on who is posting this particular photo, please have them contact a counselor, administrator, or SRO immediately. Additional guidance can be found on LPS’s Report a Concern page.
If you did not receive today’s text messages, and you believe you should have, please follow this guidance to update your communication preferences.
Thank you for your support and cooperation in our efforts to keep our community safe.
Sincerely,
Natalie Pramenko
Principal