Rock Springs High School was placed on secure status Monday afternoon after someone called the school threatening to show up with a weapon and possibly a bomb, prompting a swift police response that left some parents and students frightened and frustrated over a lack of information.
Police officers responded to the school with weapons drawn, according to parents, and searched the building before determining there was no immediate threat.
No one was taken into custody, and the incident remains under investigation.
“Of course, right away we went into secure status,” Sweetwater County School District No. 1 interim Superintendent Paul Grube told Cowboy State Daily.
Eastside Elementary School was also placed on secure status as a precaution due to its proximity to the high school.
While Grube praised the Rock Springs Police Department for its response, parents questioned why they weren't told more about what was happening as officers carrying rifles moved through the high school campus.
“If somebody was on campus with guns and officers with weapons drawn, that’s kind of a big deal for kids,” Rock Springs parent Kari Cochran told Cowboy State Daily.
Frightening Afternoon
Cochran was working at her hair salon Monday when her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend stopped by during their school lunch break.
“They left like it was no big deal,” she said.
A short while later, at 12:55 p.m., Cochran received a phone call from another school parent whose daughter had called from the high school, screaming.
The student reported seeing police officers arriving at the school with guns, Cochran said.
“They were telling kids to get into cars and leave,” Cochran said.
Cochran tried to reach her daughter, who eventually called her from inside the school.
“She was low-key freaking out,” Cochran said. “I don’t think anyone really knew what was going on.”
Other parents reported similar concerns.
One parent, who asked not to be identified, said her son was at the high school when officers arrived. She expressed frustration that parents were told only that the school was responding to a potential threat, without being given details about what that threat involved.
“Officers were walking through the parking lot with rifles,” she said.
Multiple parents also reported on social media that police had instructed their children to leave campus.
The first official message to parents came at 1:04 p.m. through the school's messaging app.
In that message, Principal Ben Sitka notified families that the main campus had been placed on secure status because of information regarding a potential threat.
A second message followed at 1:26 p.m., informing parents that law enforcement had cleared the building of any potential threat.
For parents who had been hearing alarming reports from their children, those messages left questions unanswered.
Police Respond
Rock Springs Police Department public-information officer Phylicia Lukacik told Cowboy State Daily that police received a call about the incident at 12:39 p.m.
The preliminary call notes did not identify who reported the threat.
“I can’t say who called it in,” Lukacik said.
Officers responded quickly and had cleared the building of any potential threat by 1:23 p.m., she said.
Lukacik said the initial police reports were incomplete Monday afternoon, and she could not provide additional details about what officers had been told or specifically what they were searching for.
She confirmed that no one had been taken into custody.
“It looks like it’s still under investigation,” Lukacik said, adding that she expected more information to become available as responding officers completed their reports.
Lukacik also acknowledged questions about the police response, particularly reports that officers had their weapons drawn.
“There seems to be some misinformation about things that occurred,” she said.
Some of the confusion appeared to stem from the difference between the limited information provided in official statements and what students and parents reported witnessing.
“There were questions about officers responding with their weapons drawn,” Lukacik said. “I believe that was really out of an abundance of caution.”
A joint statement issued by the school district and police department confirmed that the high school had been placed on secure status because of a potential threat and that law enforcement had cleared the building.
It did not provide details about the nature of the threat.
Police Praised
Grube told Cowboy State Daily that the threat involved a phone call to the school from someone claiming an individual was going to arrive with a weapon and possibly a bomb.
He said district officials immediately took precautions and worked with law enforcement to ensure students and staff were safe.
“I tell you, the Rock Springs Police Department did an incredible job,” Grube said. “They went through every inch of the building. We feel real good.”
Grube emphasized that school officials cannot afford to dismiss threats, even when they turn out to be unfounded.
“You never know with these, but every school district in the country must take it very seriously whenever it happens,” he said.
The district conducts security training multiple times a year, Grube said, noting that one of Rock Springs' elementary schools completed a training exercise just last week.
Those preparations are intended to help school employees and law enforcement respond quickly when a threat is reported.
For Cochran and other parents, however, Monday's incident also raised questions about how information is communicated to families during an emergency.
The Rock Springs Police Department's investigation is continuing.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
