Students of Delta High School crowd together in a church, evacuated due to a bomb threat. 

On Wednesday, January 14, early in the morning, 15 Colorado schools implemented evacuation and lockdown procedures in response to a threatening message that was later determined to have been generated by AI. So far, there are no suspects, and the messages are not considered to be credible. All threats originated from an unknown number or through email, with Delta High School receiving theirs through an automated answering system. 

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security also became involved in the matter in conjunction with local law enforcement.  DHS decided not to request state assistance. Nothing was found in any of the schools, even after professional detection teams, including K9s, were deployed. Other high schools that received the threat include Durango High School, Buena Vista High School, and Alamosa High School. 

Delta, however, was evacuated just minutes before the first bell of the school day. Students and staff migrated over to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just next to the high school. Many of the students immediately called home, attempting to get as far away from the situation as possible. By 9 a.m., however, the school was back open; just a handful of students remained in classrooms throughout the day. 

Principal Roseann Johnson held a debriefing session on January 20. “I had never been the principal when we’ve had a bomb threat, so I just wanted to get some feedback from my staff,” Johnson said. 

On the other hand, however, Teresa Davis has been through similar experiences before. “I knew that there was something major coming up. This is not my first rodeo for a bomb threat. I went through one of these already, so I was concerned, but I wasn’t scared,” Davis said. 

Owen Clay, a junior at Delta, had his own opinion on what it was like to experience a bomb threat as a student, rather than an educator. “I thought it was pretty scary, and I actually didn’t even enter the building before it happened,” Clay said. “I didn’t know what was really going on, and I thought it was real.” 

However, the evacuation did have its obstacles. “The biggest thing was just releasing the kids over [to the church] because we had parents coming and we didn’t know if they should take them, or shouldn’t take them,” Johnson said. Johnson ensures that all students are always accounted for, including special education students. “If there was a real emergency, we would need to help transport them very quickly,” Johnson said. 

Davis is also very thankful for everyone who was involved during the threat. “I thought the staff handled it very well, and this town of Delta’s greatest and finest sheriff and police department, and the district office did a very good job as well,” Davis said. “The students did a very good job following directions and doing what needed to be done to be safe.” 

Dealing with a bomb threat as a principal can be stressful, no matter how severe it is to the school. “It was a little scary because you’re in charge and we don’t want anybody to get hurt, especially our students, and any time there’s a threat, you worry a lot, so it is scary. You hope that it’s not real,” Johnson said.

Even if some threats do end up being false, like this one, they have lasting effects. “First of all, I was interested in what they did to secure the building, and when I figured out it was fake, I was like, ‘Oh, well, now I have to go back to school,’” Clay said. 

Thoughts like these were relieved, though, once students realized they didn’t have to go back. “I was really excited because then I could go home, and I didn’t have to stay at school,” said Clay.