Parents of Summit Middle School students are upset about not receiving more details regarding the “non-credible” threat that the Boulder school received on March 17 and for the lack of disciplinary action. Dionne Waugh, a Boulder Police Department spokesperson, said the threat was not a crime and that the juvenile was “issued a referral for interference with school and staff, which is like the juvenile equivalent of a ticket.”
The threat at Summit Middle School was made by a student and was allegedly a vague message sent on Snapchat warning classmates to not attend school on March 17.
The Boulder Police Department assessment involved speaking to the juvenile and determining whether the student has the “means and opportunity” to carry out the threat. After a discussion with the juvenile, the police department ruled the threat as “non-credible.” According to the officers’ assessment, the student did not have access to any dangerous items to follow through on the alleged threat.
Boulder Reporting Lab reported that an email from Assistant Principal Joseph Gutierrez informed parents that the student would be returning to school under a “safety plan.” The specific details of the safety plan were not provided, but safety plans in similar cases have included bag checks and supervised recess. Gutierrez also told parents that “matters of student discipline are handled with discretion to protect privacy.”
Parents were frustrated by this response and the lack of details they have received regarding the incident. Gutierrez, in his email message to parents, provided some resources for talking to students about school safety. One parent told Boulder Reporting Lab there isn’t a way for parents to talk about the incident with their children because they haven’t been explicitly told what happened by the school.
The Educator School Safety Network has compiled media reports since 2016 to tally the number of violent school incidents and threats that have been made in the United States. The 2023–2024 school year saw 1,905 threats and 536 violent incidents in U.S. schools, but the authors note that incidents are not included in the data set if there was no information released by the school or the media.
In September, Axios spoke with Lauren Shapiro, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who said investigations into school threats can cost between $25,000 and $40,000 per incident. The investigation can take one to four years to complete. “Not taking it seriously even one time and it turns out to be truly a bomb, that's just not going to be satisfactory to the community,” Shapiro said.
