Sand Creek High School Steps Up Security
EL PASO COUNTY – Sand Creek High School raised its security level for the school day Friday due to the investigation into a double shooting Thursday afternoon. The high school raised security to what District 49 calls “Level One.”
That means there’s only one entrance and exit at the school remaining doors are closed. Non-students or unapproved visitors could not get into the building and students were not allowed to leave for lunch. A District 49 spokesperson says it’s the same security level at which elementary and middle schools operate daily.
The Sand Creek principal says after talking with El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies Thursday, the school decided raising security was the best way to ensure the safety of all students. “It’s just a question of doing the wise thing,” says Sand Creek Principal Mike Collins, “before anything else happened.”
The school is about two miles from the scene of Thursday afternoon’s shooting. Friday, much of the scene at Eastridge Park was still blocked off with crime scene tape. Thursday, a group of at least 15 teens showed up there and got into a fight. The sheriff’s office says the argument was over someone’s stolen ipod.
Two teens were shot and killed. Deputies say the people involved were also affiliated with area gangs. Sand Creek High School brought in counselors for students Friday. “Some of our students live in that area and I think they have been emotionally affected.” Collins says, “but we have a contingency plan in place to bring in other counselors, we’ve had one or two students that have been upset, but not a great deal.”
District 49 says it’s gotten no concrete information from the sheriff’s office that any students were involved, but the district is cooperating with the investigation.
