The number of people prosecuted for disrupting schools in Colorado is up more than 40 percent since 2004, a jump that law enforcement officials say can be attributed to increasing vigilance about safety.
Charges of interfering with staff, faculty or students of educational institutions have increased from 198 in 2004 to 284 last year. This year, Colorado is on a pace for more than 350 cases, according to court records.
“They are increasingly brought to the attention of law enforcement because I think we are in a heightened state of awareness post-Columbine, and the school districts are enforcing the behavioral rules,” said Kathleen Walsh, spokeswoman for the 18th Judicial District.
On Tuesday, two 14-year-old boys who attend Clear Lake Middle School were arrested after authorities said they threatened to commit a large-scale shooting at Iver C. Ranum High School in Adams County.
A 13-year-old boy from Falcon Creek Middle School was arrested Monday because he threatened to take out a gun and shoot everyone during lunch when someone cut him off in line, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies went to the boy’s home, contacted his mother and asked for her consent to search his room for weapons.
And on Friday, a 17-year-old Ponderosa High School boy was arrested after causing a loud disturbance that led to the school’s evacuation. Authorities say he was carrying chemicals in his backpack that could have caused the loud noise.
In those three cases, the students are facing at least a single charge of interfering with staff, faculty or students of an educational institution – the charge law enforcement officers said is used most frequently to address school threats.
“Ten years ago it might have been a chuckle or a joke or a prank, but now the kids know what kind of impact this kind of threat has,” said Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abraham son. “You don’t want to lose sight that it could turn into a real disaster.”
Tracking cases
Since 2004, Larimer County has charged 111 people – mostly juveniles – with interfering with the education process.
Abrahamson said he could not think of any one case or incident that stands out and was surprised his county had one of the highest caseloads in the state.
“I would not think we have more disruptive students than they do elsewhere,” he said.
But in Denver County, which has about 30,000 more students, only 40 cases have been filed since 2004.
El Paso County had the highest number of cases filed since 2004 – 220 – but it also has one of the largest pupil populations in the state, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
Threats against colleges could also be included in the numbers, but authorities say most of the cases would involve K-12 schools.
The charge of interfering with the education process is not isolated to threats to kill students or bringing devices on campus, said Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey.
That charge may also be applied to students who get into trivial arguments that disrupt class or a fight in the hallway. Dispositions also vary, from counseling to confinement, he said.
“Not every interference charge is a threat on campus like you have seen in the last couple of days,” Storey said. “To say that these numbers reflect threats to the safety of students in the school might not really be accurate. You’d almost have to look case by case.”
Still, law enforcement officials agree the charge is the best indicator of the frequency of school threats – and the willingness to prosecute them.
Prevention improving
In Jefferson County, where 77 people have been charged since 2004, there is a juvenile assessment team made up of law enforcement, mental-health experts and school officials who try to determine how to handle students who cause disturbances on campus.
Experts say groups like this are key in preventing a tragedy on campus.
“If they have a history of breaking and entering, or if they have websites that are threatening, this group is the one that needs to receive that information and decide the best course of action for that student,” said Jane Grady, assistant director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Many times, authorities say the threats are not going to be carried out but are a cry for help.
Just after Columbine in 1999, three students in Larimer County were prosecuted for planning to kill students at their junior high school.
“Two of them ended up institutionalized because of that,” Abrahamson said.
Students are also getting better at reporting threats and suspicious classmates. Law enforcement credits Safe 2 Tell, a statewide hotline formed after Columbine where students can leave anonymous tips.
“The awareness of kids is just a lot greater now, and I think kids take it seriously, and they can report these things anonymously so that law enforcement and school security can act,” Storey said.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
