South Jefferson County – Classes are expected to resume at Columbine High School today after students were sent home early Thursday after a bomb threat.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating who made the threat. Any suspect faces serious criminal charges, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley.
The male caller “wanted media attention,” she said, mentioning that he said he wanted the situation broadcast on CNN.
Several sweeps of the school at 6201 S. Pierce St. turned up “no evidence to support the threats,” Kelley said.
The bomb squad and a bomb-sniffing dog, Flash, arrived shortly after the first threat was made about 9:30 a.m. Evacuation began shortly before 10 a.m. when more bomb threats were called into the school.
Seniors – who were in fourth grade when 12 students and a teacher were killed at Columbine on April 20, 1999 – were in the gym having their group graduation photo taken when the alert came.
“They said to turn off all electrical devices and to please leave peacefully and to go to Leawood Park,” senior Meagan Feely said. “On the way out, they handed us order forms for our senior photo. We thought it was a joke.”
Students first gathered at Leawood Park across the street from Columbine and then walked about three blocks to Leawood Elementary School to get out of the cold.
Kelley said officials decided to evacuate students and cancel classes as a precautionary measure. The school also canceled Thursday evening activities, including the school musical, night school and all athletic practices.
Although Columbine has been a target of threats, Kelley said this incident was taken more seriously “because of a combination of the content of the threat and the consistency of the threat.”
A similar situation would have been handled the same way at another school, Kelley said, although “there is more sensitivity because it’s Columbine.”
Parents began picking up their students at Leawood at 11:15 a.m. when school district officials decided to cancel classes.
“My daughter sent me a text message saying to turn on the news and see what’s going on,” said Mary Heffernan, who has two daughters at Columbine.
“It brings back memories – bad ones,” Heffernan said. “Thank goodness, it’s pretty minor this time.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or [email protected].
