LOVELAND, Colo. — Loveland High School principal Michael James has been placed on indefinite paid administrative leave, according to a letter from the Thompson School District obtained by Denver7.
The district did not release details as to why James was placed on leave, but the move comes two days after families at Loveland High School voiced concern over the school’s handling of an apparent threat on Wednesday.
The letter to families Friday said Ferguson High School principal Dr. Jason Germain will take the role as interim principal, effective immediately.
Some parents told Denver7 they weren't made aware of a possible school safety threat Wednesday morning until after police investigated and the district canceled classes for the day.
Students, meanwhile, arrived at school as normal that morning.
Loveland
Loveland parents furious after teachers leave during school threat investigation
The Loveland Police Department said its officers responded to the high school shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday after being alerted of a Safe2Tell tip of a possible threat to the school. Denver7 learned that 14 staff members left the campus that morning.
Loveland High parent Amber Johnson told us that her son said no teacher was present for his first class of the day and students were told to sit in the lunchroom. She said her son alerted her 10 minutes later that there was a threat to the school.
According to the parents, the first communication they got from the school district was a text received at 10:06 a.m. that said, "From TSD: LHS is closing due to schedule disruption from a safety tip. All students and staff are safe."
In a statement, the school district told Denver7 law enforcement investigated and determined there was no credible threat before the school day started. On Wednesday, the school has a late start at 9:30 a.m.
"The district will always communicate with families when there is a credible threat that impacts the school community," a district spokesperson told Denver7. "In this instance, law enforcement officials at the Loveland Police Department fully investigated the Safe2Tell tip and determined before the beginning of the school day that there was no credible threat to students, staff or visitors at the school."
The district's letter to families on Friday called it a "challenging" few days for Loveland High.
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