Boulder police: No active threat at Fairview High as school lockdowns lift

This is a developing story. It was last updated at 7.20 p.m. on Sept. 11.

Boulder Police said shortly before noon on Thursday they no longer believed there was an active threat near Fairview High School, after responding to a report of a man with a gun. Officers later identified the individual, who had been out for a run wearing a weighted vest and carrying a cell phone, items that likely led the caller to mistake him for being armed.

Earlier in the morning, police said they were investigating the report and placed Fairview and nearby Southern Hills Middle School on lockdown. Summit Middle School was put in “secure” status soon after, according to Boulder Valley School District (BVSD).

Timeline of events:

• 10:43 a.m., Sept. 11: BVSD reported Fairview High School was placed in secure status, meaning all doors were locked, students were brought inside, and normal activities continued indoors.
• 10:49 a.m.: BVSD said Boulder Police advised schools to escalate to lockdown for Fairview and Southern Hills Middle School. During lockdown, rooms are secured and students stay quiet and in place.
• 11:02 a.m.: BVSD reported Summit Middle School was placed in secure status.
• 11:06 a.m.: Boulder Police said they were investigating a report of a man with a gun near Fairview High School. Fairview and Southern Hills remained on lockdown. Police closed the road in front of the school from Greenbriar and Broadway to Greenbriar and Gillespie and urged the public to avoid the area.
• 11:27 a.m.: Boulder Police expanded the response, issuing a shelter-in-place order for a half-mile radius around Fairview. They also asked media helicopters to maintain a two-mile distance to avoid interfering with police drones searching the area.
• 11:43 a.m.: BVSD said Community Montessori, Bear Creek and Mesa were also placed in SECURE status.
• 11:59 a.m.: Boulder Police said there was no longer believed to be an active threat after identifying the individual reported in the initial call.

After the false alarm, Fairview prepared for an early dismissal. At Southern Hills, families were allowed to pick up students early, but the school day otherwise continued on schedule with regular release and buses. Summit Middle, Community Montessori, Bear Creek and Mesa Elementary operated on their normal schedules for the remainder of the day, according to BVSD.

The call to police came a day after a shooting at Evergreen High School, about 40 miles from Boulder, in which a 16-year-old student opened fire, injuring two classmates. The shooter died later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Jefferson County officials said. Two victims remain in critical condition, as of Thursday afternoon. It was the 13th school shooting in Colorado since the 1999 Columbine massacre, according to 9News.

BVSD Superintendent Rob Anderson acknowledged the psychological toll on students in an email to families Thursday night. He said students, staff and families are “understandably shaken by these events — real and false alarms” and encouraged parents to reach out to school counselors or administrators if their child needs help. He also pointed families to guidance from the National Association of School Psychologists on talking to children about violence, which offers tips for helping kids process frightening events.

“Many of us remember the Columbine tragedy 26 years ago, and unfortunately there have been far too many incidents since,” Anderson wrote. “If you have a child in need of help, reach out.”