2 Loveland schools close over rumors of violence; police say no credible threats were made

Resurrection Christian School and Loveland Classical Schools both closed school Friday, citing rumors of violence against Christian organizations and general threats reported to Safe2Tell, respectively.

The Loveland and Fort Collins police departments and Larimer County Sheriff's Office said no credible threats had been made against either school.

Resurrection Christian School superintendent and CEO Jerry Eshleman, speaking in a video clip posted Thursday night on YouTube, said there were fears people involved in transgender activism Friday would target the school, about a half-mile east of Interstate 25 in Loveland, though he said there were no specific threats. The video is now unavailable to watch.

“What we’ve been told is it’s a day of rage by that community, and they’re going to be sweeping up the I-25 corridor and heading to Fort Collins, ultimately,” Eshleman said in the video clip. “However, what we’ve been told is anything in their path, they’re going to destroy, and they are specifically targeting Christian entities and Christian organizations.”

Eshleman and other administrators at Resurrection Christian School have not responded to phone and email requests for additional comment.

Loveland Classical Schools' website Friday morning had a banner noting that all classes were canceled for the day “due to general threats reported to some charter and private schools via Colorado’s Safe2Tell program.” The banner was later updated, noting, "We have been able to assess that this was NOT a valid or substantiated threat."

Ian Stout, executive director of Loveland Classical Schools, explained in a statement shared with the Coloradoan and on the school’s Facebook page later in the day that the tip that led to the school’s closure was a “third-person report of something they heard that someone else supposedly saw on YouTube regarding general threats directed towards certain ‘type’ schools in the area” and not directed specifically at the school.

Stout clarified that "we were not aware of any statements made by any other schools, and our decision was based completely from the Safe2Tell threat tip we received early this morning."

The timing of the tip, received about one hour before classes were scheduled to begin, did not give the school enough time to “confidently substantiate or dismiss the threat” before staff and students arrived.

“Given external variables and the short timeframe, we opted for the safest course of action for our students, teachers and staff," he wrote.

He went on to note that the school will continue to “make the overly-cautious decision regarding the status of school for the safety of our students, staff and entire community at all times. Even in light of the new information, I stand by our decision, in the moment, to cancel classes and after-school activities today.”

Acting Sgt. Bryan Bartnes of the Loveland Police Department said there have been no credible or actionable threats against either school but that there has been general chatter on Safe2Tell about multiple schools in the area, both public and private, and that extra security measures have been put in place at all public schools. Private schools in Loveland, he said, have their own security plans in place.

"We haven't been able to establish anything credible," Bartnes said. "We're taking extra precautions in schools just to be more safe."

In a news release Friday afternoon, Loveland police said seven threats against schools in the city had been made through the Safe2Tell program since Wednesday, including one that led to the closure of Loveland High School on Wednesday, and none were determined to be credible. Police are investigating the origins of those claims and will work with the Larimer District Attorney's Office to determine if legal action is needed.

Thompson School District placed Loveland High principal Michael James on paid administrative leave Friday but would not say whether or not that action was taken in response to multiple reports that some staff members left the school after learning of Wednesday's threat in a morning meeting, contributing to the disruption to learning that officials cited while sending staff and students home about an hour later.

In addition to threats Wednesday involving Loveland High and Lucile Erwin Middle School, Loveland police said they also investigated:

• a threat Thursday against Bill Reed Middle School

• threats both Thursday and Friday against Loveland and Mountain View high schools

• two threats received Friday against Loveland Classical Elementary and Lucille Erwin Middle School. Loveland police said these threats referenced the video from Resurrection Christian School superintendent.

Earlier this week: Loveland High sends students, staff home early after reported 'safety threat' to school

In Fort Collins, police Chief Jeff Swoboda posted a video on social media addressing rumored threats Friday.

"We have heard a variety of concerns and rumors about national issues and how they're going to manifest here locally," Swoboda said. "I'm going to let you know we have had a team of detectives look into each and every one of those rumors and we have found that there is no credibility. ... If we had credible information that would keep our community safe, we would have acted upon it."

Other private Christian schools in the area, including Heritage Christian and Front Range Baptist academies in Fort Collins and Immanuel Lutheran School in Loveland, were open Friday. Staff at each of those schools said they were aware of the decisions Resurrection Christian and Loveland Classical made to cancel classes for the day. St. Joseph Catholic School in Fort Collins was holding previously planned parent-teacher conferences, almost all virtually, and had no classes scheduled, a spokesperson said.

Loveland Classical is a public charter school in the Thompson School District. All other public schools in the Poudre and Thompson school districts were in session Friday. Weld RE-4, which serves, Windsor and Severance, is on spring break.

On Friday's Transgender Day of Visibility, NoCoSafeSpace planned a protest in Old Town Square against the “500 bills already proposed in 2023” nationwide that the organization has deemed “anti-transgender legislation.”

Event organizers said in a Facebook post the event "is peaceful and as with all of our events will remain contained and respectful. Our community values living in an inclusive city, where we can practice our First Amendment rights in peace.

"NoCoSafeSpace nor any related organizations are part of nor in support of any 'day of rage' rumors that are floating around. As an LGBTQIA+ community, we denounce any violence within or towards our communities.

"We suggest you do not share fear-based narratives that have no evidence."

A rally celebrating Transgender Visibility Day was also scheduled Friday outside the state capitol building in Denver. All ages were invited to attend, and it included events like a clothing swap, games, open mic and Queer Jeopardy.

As for other schools' actions, the lead pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in southeast Fort Collins sent a message to parents of children at the church’s preschool acknowledging that the school was aware of the closure of Resurrection Christian and Loveland Classical but that it would remain open.

“We have received communication from the highest levels of leadership at the Fort Collins Police Department, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, and the Loveland Police Department that there are no viable threats that they are aware of,” pastor Tim Runtsch wrote. “We also have reassurances that if any threat levels change, we will be informed immediately. We will go ahead and hold our preschool classes as normal. However, out of an abundance of caution, we will have our preschoolers play indoors on Friday. We will also have added security present in the building.”

Kevin McGinley, the longtime athletic director at Heritage Christian, said administrators at his school were also aware of the closures of Resurrection Christian and Loveland Classical schools but chose to hold classes as scheduled.

He said the school was working through the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office to ensure there would be an increased law-enforcement presence around its building.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Violent rumors with 'no credibility' prompt 2 Loveland school closures