Halloween prank prompts school lockdown

A Pueblo County High School student is suspended after she was seen walking down the hallway Wednesday in a gas mask and a trench coat.

No weapons were found on the student. The Pueblo County School District said the student told administrators it was a Halloween prank.

The incident happened at around 9 a.m. The SWAT team was training nearby and was able to quickly respond to the school.

Superintendent Ed Smith said two students saw the student in the hallway, and notified a teacher. Smith said the student didn’t walk into school wearing the outfit but was seen in it between first and second period.

“In these times, these kinds of things just aren’t funny, but I would like to say that our students reacted very well to this because they are the ones that originally reported it,” Smith said.

The SWAT team searched the school as a precaution Wednesday morning to make sure the building was safe. The lockdown was lifted just before 11 a.m.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 saw a handful of students getting picked up by their parents and grandparents, including Kathy Musso who has three grandkids at the school.

Musso said, “I sent them all a text asking them if they were all OK and thankfully they all answered me and said yes they were. Everything was fine.”

Smith said the student has been suspended until she has a formal hearing with administrators. At that time, administrators may recommend that the school board expel her.

The district said it takes incidents like this one very seriously. It’s unclear what, if any charges, the girl may face.