*Editor’s note: This is a follow-up to a story Complete Colorado first reported on Wednesday.
LOVELAND —A Loveland High School teen is back in class today after Thompson School District (TSD) officials apologized and cleared him of a report to “Safe2Tell,” claiming he made a threat on the school, that was actually a family outing at a shooting range.
On Wednesday, TSD Superintendent Marc Schaffer notified the parents of Nathan Myers that he could not return to school until the district completed a full investigation after Nathan posted a Snapchat video on Tuesday of several handguns and an AR-15 belonging to his mother.
The guns were being packed for a family shooting trip to the mountains, the boy’s mother, Justine Myers, said. Nathan posted the video with the caption “Finna be lit,” which is slang for “gonna be exciting.”
Someone called the anonymous line “Safe2Tell,” and reported they feared Nathan was threatening the school. “Safe2Tell” is designed for youth to be able to give tips to their school and police about threatening situations. However, Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams said the line has been dubbed “Safe2Swat,” by kids who use the line for both practical jokes and to get even with other students they may have a conflict with.
Swatting is a term that is used when someone deceptively sends police and other emergency services to another person’s address through false reporting of an emergency or criminal action.
Nathan’s father had left several messages for Justine about police officers at his home questioning Nathan’s intentions while they were out of cell phone coverage.
“His father told them (Tuesday evening that) he was out shooting with me. I am an avid shooter,” Justine said. “So, the officers said he wasn’t in trouble and left.”
Despite being glad the situation is resolved, Justine said she is still frustrated at how it was handled. She said it felt like they were downplaying the severity of the situation, including failing to allow the boy access to his homework. The school district told Justine they did not get clearance from the police until sometime Wednesday,
“You expect me to believe they had a threat on a school and the school waited more than 15 hours to contact the police to find out if it was credible,” Justine said.
Nathan and his parents met with school district officials for what she said amounted to 5 minutes before they gave Nathan permission to return to class and promised him there would be no consequences surrounding the issue.
“We walked in, they gave him a big envelope with his homework in it and immediately apologized,” Justine said. “They told him he was a good kid, they liked him, and they never believed he was making a threat against the school, but that ‘you know we have to do this.’ ”
