Doherty High secured status lifted after reported threatening phone call; threats against 2 other Colorado Springs schools also investigated

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - District 11 and Colorado Springs police are investigating a threat towards Doherty High School phoned in Wednesday morning.

The school was on secured perimeter status until just after 1 p.m., district officials say. Devra Ashby, District 11′s spokesperson says, the threat reported was not found to be credible.

A spokesperson with the Colorado Springs Police Department tells 11 News that the secured status is out of an abundance of caution but that officers “don’t believe there is any danger to the campus at this time.”

D-11 says that in addition to the telephoned threat, it’s been made aware of threats circulating around social media that were more generic in nature, not directed at any particular school. Other principals in the district have been made aware, but at the time of this writing, no other District 11 schools are on a security status.

District 20 tells 11 News that it also received threats aimed at two of its high schools, Liberty and Rampart. Both threats were made Tuesday and have been investigated and deemed not credible. The schools are operating as normal Wednesday, but with extra security on campus.

Below is a letter to parents provided to 11 News by the district:

Dear Doherty Families,

Earlier this morning, we received an anonymous vague threat to our school that may be related to other threats circulating in the area. Out of an abundance of caution, we placed Doherty on a “secure” status, and we will be closing the campus for lunch today. We respectfully ask that families not send lunch to school for students via food delivery services so we may reduce the number of people coming to our school who do not need to be here. Students will be provided lunch if they do not have one. Students who have a free period will remain in the building. Those students who are finished for the day will be allowed to leave campus but will not be able to return during the school day. We will make a determination about after-school activities once we gather more information.

Students and staff remain safe in our building, and learning will continue. Safety is our top priority, and we take these measures to protect our Spartans. We’ll keep updating you as soon as we receive more information from our D11 security team.

Respectfully,

Lana Flenniken,

PrincipalDoherty High School

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