An elementary school in Boulder, Colorado, was put on secure status on Tuesday after a squirrel tripped an electrical wire and the sound was thought to be gunshots, according to officials.
Newsweek has reached out to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and Douglass Elementary School outside of normal working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
School shootings are a major safety issue in the United States. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which records any incident where a gun is brandished or fired or a bullet hits school property, 330 incidents were reported in 2024.
Education Week, which focuses specifically on incidents that result in injuries or deaths, documented 39 school shootings in 2024, the second-highest number since they began tracking in 2018.
What To Know
Loud cracks were heard at around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday near North 75th Street and Baseline Road, which is just down the street from Douglass Elementary.
The school was put on secure status while deputies investigated "possible shots in the area," according to a post at the time on X, formerly Twitter, by Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
It was given the all clear less than an hour later after a building-wide search, with officials concluding that the noises heard were a squirrel tripping an electrical fuse.
When a school is placed on secure status, it means that there is a potential threat in the surrounding area but no immediate danger inside the school itself.
Unlike a lockdown, which is used when there is an active threat inside or very close to the school, secure status is a preventive measure that keeps external dangers from entering the building. The precaution is taken to ensure the safety of students and staff while allowing learning to continue as normally as possible.
Though all exterior doors are locked to prevent unauthorized entry, classes continue as usual inside the building and students are typically allowed to move around within their classrooms.
What People Are Saying
Boulder County Sheriff's Office posted on X: "After further investigation, deputies learned from Xcel Energy that a squirrel likely tripped a fuse near 75th and Baseline, which may have caused the reported sound. Douglas Elementary has returned to normal operations."
What Happens Next
The incident reflects the importance of precautionary measures to ensure the safety of school students.
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About the writer
Marni Rose McFall
Marni Rose McFall is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics, social affairs and ...
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