Roosevelt High School students walk to the Johnstown-Milliken Re-5J School District administration building Tuesday morning. Students say they were demanding answers from the administration about why several teachers at the school and in the district have been placed on leave. (Megan Garcia/For The Tribune)Roosevelt High School was evacuated for a possible bomb threat, and some students who had planned a walkout for that day walked to the Johnstown-Milliken Re-5J School District administration building Tuesday to protest treatment of teachers in the district.The Johnstown Police Department said in a news release the department was at Roosevelt High School to keep the peace during a planned students walkout, when officers received a Safe2Tell report mentioning a possible bomb threat.[swift-infobox title=”To help”]The reported bomb threat at Roosevelt High School Tuesday remains under investigation by the Johnstown Police Department. Anyone with any information can contact Cmdr. Aaron Sanchez (970) 587-5555 or asanchez@johnstownpolice.org.[/swift-infobox]The school was then evacuated so K9 units could search the school for explosives and Letford Elementary School – because of its proximity to the high school – was placed on lockdown during the search, but no explosives were found.According to a Facebook post from the district, students were taken to Grace Community Church, but some refused to follow the evacuation protocol and walked to the district administration building for their planned walkout.Parents, including Megan Garcia, who posted a Facebook live video of students as they left the school, said students planned the walkout in opposition to several of their teachers being placed on administrative leave.
Roosevelt High School, in the Johnstown-Milliken Re5-J School District, was evacuated this morning, the day students had planned a walkout in protest of teachers being placed on leave. I’ll update this story with more information as it becomes available. https://t.co/khTn1gDtin
Noland Eastin, a physical education teacher at Roosevelt, was placed on leave about a week ago, which triggered planning for the walkout, students said. A change.org petition to reinstate Eastin has gained more than 2,000 signatures this week.But Leslie Arnold, superintendent for the school district, said some parents and students were given inaccurate information.Arnold said Eastin was placed on leave for one day, this past Thursday, after he asked a student with two medical notes and a no-exercise request from a parent to participate in PE class.Citing advice from the district’s attorneys, Arnold said Eastin was no longer able to teach PE at the school but was offered reassignment as a social studies teacher, for which he also is qualified.”We were trying to find a win-win for Mr. Eastin,” she said.
– Emily Wenger is the parents reporter for the Greeley Tribune, covering education in Weld County and answering as many questions parents have as she can. You can reach her at (970) 392-4468 or ewenger@greeleytribune.com or on Twitter at @emilylwenger.
