WALSENBURG – “There were some things that just did not feel right,” said Peakview School Principal, Megan Archuleta. Huerfano RE-1 canceled classes at its Walsenburg schools Thursday following a threat and recent gun thefts from staff members.
Peakview School and John Mall High School closed Thursday. The day before the schools were on lockout status.
District Superintendent Michael Moore told News5 that a student at Peakview School made a threat to an Assistant Principal, Wednesday morning. It is the reason for the lock down. The threat did not mention guns, but in the process of investigation the Assistant Principal mentioned two guns stolen from her home the previous night. It raised questions of connection to the threat or just coincidence. “Changes our mind to go to closure,” said Moore.
The unease of the situation increased even more late Wednesday. “We got information, I got it about nine o’clock that another faculty member’s home had been robbed. Two more weapons stolen,” said Moore. The Peakview School staff member had an AR-15 and a .357 stolen from their home before Wednesday’s threat.
With schools closed the investigation focused on finding the guns and determining if there is any connection to the threat. The safety of kids takes precedent. The hope is the is the investigation shows closing the schools was out of an abundance of caution rather than necessity. ” We don’t know who robbed the homes,” said Moore, “But, with a verbal threat and four weapons missing and the coincidence of those being taken from two faculty members homes that work at Peakview School, it needed to be closed today,”
The Huerfano County Sheriff’s Office is investigating this case. Thursday the two handguns missing from the Assistant Principal’s home were returned. Because of the continuing active investigation specifics were not released.
The district operates on a four-day schedule, so students will be off school on Friday. The Superintendent says there are still too many unknowns to make a decision on opening Monday. A determination will like be released Sunday.
The other school in the district, the Gardner School, is holding school as normal.
