MEEKER | At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, the Meeker School District staff were notified of a “vague statement” made on a social media platform called Yik Yak that said “some s*** might go down tomorrow morning so just be ready.” No specific reference was included about a school, or what the individual intended.
“It was wide open for interpretation,” said Superintendent Chris Selle. “There was nothing that led us to believe this was a credible threat.” Selle noted that the threat assessment training school officials receive differentiates between “making a threat” and “posing a threat” and appropriate responses.
Out of an abundance of caution, and confident the statement pertained to the high school, school district staff notified local law enforcement. Meeker Police Chief Eddie Thompson requested assistance from RBC Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, and several off-duty Meeker Police officers to have a presence at all three schools Monday morning before school started. Officers were posted at all Meeker schools by 7:36 a.m.
“The message which prompted this response did not mention a specific school or person, nor did it mention a specific threat of violence, but we took this message seriously as the safety of our children is always of the utmost importance. We will continue to handle these issues swiftly based upon the facts presented and information on hand,” Thompson said in a statement to the HT.
The presence of law enforcement alarmed some students and their parents, who learned via text messages from their children that police were on campus searching backpacks and bags.
In a statement issued to parents Monday, Selle said: “Because there never was a credible threat, and in an effort to minimize disruptions to normal school operations (especially at the elementary and middle schools), we chose not to communicate with parents and students until we could provide factual information. Safety of students and staff was never threatened in a manner that would prompt actions outlined in our emergency operations plan.”
Selle said in light of parents’ concerns, the district will be reviewing their communication protocols going forward.
According to Thompson, the Rio Blanco County Communications Center assisted with obtaining the name of the Yik Yak user who posted the statement. Thompson received information from Yik Yak by 8:06 a.m. identifying a Meeker High School student, who was detained, parents notified, and disciplinary action taken by the school. Another student was also disciplined by the district.
Selle and Thompson both commended the individuals who reported the Yik Yak comment to school officials.
“I would also like to take the time to commend the people who brought this information forward and their willingness to ‘say something’,” Thompson said.
“They did exactly what we expect them to do,” Selle said.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
MARCH 20: This story has been edited to reflect that the original YikYak post did not include the words “at school.”
