Colorado school cancels classes over
threat after Trump piñata incident
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[May 09, 2017]
By Keith Coffman
DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado high school
canceled classes on Monday following an unspecified online threat,
authorities said, days after a Spanish teacher there was suspended over
allegations he allowed students to strike a piñata depicting President
Donald Trump.
Activities at Roosevelt High School in the town of Johnstown, about 40
miles north of Denver, were put on hold out of an abundance of caution,
Martin Foster, superintendent of the Johnstown-Milliken school district,
said in a statement.
"Recent tragedies around the country and in our own state have
heightened everyone's concern for the safety of students," Foster said.
He did not say if the threat was related to the piñata incident.
Colorado has been the scene of several school shootings and threats,
most notably the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two
students fatally shot a teacher and 12 students before committing
suicide.
Foster said he became aware last Friday of social media posts of a Cinco
De Mayo event at the school where a photograph of Trump was affixed to a
piñata. Cinco De Mayo is an annual celebration commemorating the Mexican
army's defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
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"This was an incredibly disrespectful act that does not reflect the
values of Roosevelt High School or the school district," Foster
said.
The teacher, whom the district has not publicly identified, has been
placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is
investigated, Foster said.
Classes and other activities will resume on Tuesday with an
increased police presence at the school, Assistant Superintendent
Jason Seybert said by telephone.
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(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Ben Klayman and Peter
Cooney)
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