Special to KRTN from Colfax County Sheriff’s Office
On September 17, 2024 Colfax County deputies were dispatched to Cimarron High School to investigate a report that a juvenile that brandished what appeared to be a gun at someone else on the campus after school.
As a result the Cimarron Schools were placed on lockdown with students practicing sports in the gym.
No arrests have been made and there were no injuries . There is no further threat to the community of Cimarron. We will get additional information out as it becomes available.
Then another possible threat of a shooter the following morning, Wednesday, Sept. 18 had the Colfax County Sheriff’s office and NM State Police responding and performed a coordinated soft evacuation of all students at Cimarron High, Elementary and Eagle Nest Schools.
For additional information watch our Colfax County Sheriff’s Office New Mexico Facebook page. Or you can reach out to Lt. Dominguez
ndominguez@co.colfax.nm.us
Cimarron School Facebook posted the following on Wednesday:
Parents, Families and Community Members,
Cimarron Municipal Schools has experienced two incidents in the last two days that have placed us in a position to have to lock down our schools. Please know that we are being as transparent as the law allows us to be at this time. The school cannot give out specific information during these incidents and while an active investigation is going on.
Here are the facts regarding both lockdowns.
On Tuesday, September 17th there was a report of a juvenile with a gun walking by the bus barn. Because we had students in practice in Cimarron HS and MS we immediately called law enforcement and locked both buildings down for the safety of the students. Law Enforcement officers were in Raton clearing the incident that took place there yesterday. They responded quickly to Cimarron and students were safely delivered to parents. According to law enforcement officers no weapon was found and it was deemed safe to resume school today.
On Wednesday, September 18th we received a notice at approximately 7:50 am that a threat had been made against Cimarron Middle School and Elementary. We immediately called police and put schools on lockdown. After speaking with law enforcement we decided to cancel school for the day. Law Enforcement from Colfax County and State Police were already on site and took over the process of releasing students. All students were released safely and without incident. Law enforcement officers are actively investigating today’s threat and no more information is available at this time. Officers from Colfax County will release a statement later today.
The entire process was very smooth. Staff and students and law enforcement worked diligently to make sure all students were safely released.
We appreciate the Parent, Community and Family reaction and cooperation. You all did a brilliant job and that allowed our staff and law enforcement officers to keep students safe and ensure a smooth process.
Tonight’s board meeting will be postponed until Monday, September 23rd so that we can address concerns related to these two issues and issues currently happening around the state in our schools.
If you would like to speak during the public forum portion, please fill out the request that is located on our website and return within 24 hours of the meeting. We welcome any and all who would like to participate in a discussion.
School will resume as normal Thursday, Sept., 19 with added safety measures.
-Back packs will be checked upon arrival.
-Teachers will move from campus to campus rather than students moving for the remainder of the week.
Additionally, counseling will be offered to students at all three campuses.
Also, In lieu of recent events Cimarron Schools will implement the following procedures:
* We will be searching bags upon arrival on campus
* We will be using a metal detecting wand when students enter the school in the morning�
* We will not allow students to keep cell phones
We know that these are difficult situations, but Cimarron Schools will strive to be proactive in keeping all of our students safe. Please feel free to contact Principal Martinez if you have any questions or concerns.
Finally, this is an active investigation and school personnel do not have the authority to give any information or details regarding these incidents. We respectfully request that you refrain from posting unverified information on social media. This only causes chaos and confusion and could potentially induce anxiety in our children and families.
In addition this was posted at about 5 pm on Wed., 9/18 from Cimarron Schools
In response to recent events, one area we need to work on is emergency contacts for students. We cannot release students to anybody not listed on emergency contacts. We are asking all families to make sure those are updated.
Log into your PowerSchool portal. (Let us know if you need help with that.)
Update the Emergency Contact form with people who are allowed to check out your children in an emergency. (Don’t forget to hit submit).
Update any other form with any information that needs updated.
Thank you for your cooperation. Please reach out if we can assist you.
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