So it's understandable that the discovery of what was termed a suspicious bag would cause a freak-out among officials at Boulder's Fairview High School, not to mention the media.
Turns out, though, that the item wasn't a bomb. It was a science project.
Mere hours ago, pretty much every news agency in the metro area began tweeting about the Fairview bomb scare, including the Boulder Daily Camera, which led with this message....
#Boulder police: 'Device' discovered on bus at Fairview High School bit.ly/10goGFW via @mitchellbyars
— Daily Camera (@dailycamera) May 20, 2013
...and followed with an update....
#Boulder scanner: Fairview students moved to gym, auditorium bit.ly/10grL8L
— Daily Camera (@dailycamera) May 20, 2013
...and an additional note accompanied by a photo of the bomb squad on the scene:
RT @fhsroyalbanner: Boulder police and fairview principal gather around bomb disarming device twitter.com/FHSRoyalBanner...
— Daily Camera (@dailycamera) May 20, 2013
Fortunately, though, the danger proved to be not just minimal, but nonexistent.
According to the Boulder Police Department, the reusable, grocery-type bag -- the kind that are ubiquitous in environmentally friendly Boulder -- was first eyeballed by a bus driver, who didn't think it was dangerous; he simply gave it to Fairview staffers with the idea that they'd return it to the student who'd left it behind. But because it contained plastic pipes, some of which were taped together, as well as wires connected to a battery, said officials moved the bag out to the school's parking lot and called the cops.
Students and employees were moved to the east side of the building as a precaution while police deployed a robot and camera to view the package. Around then, a student came along to reveal that it was his bag, and what it contained was an electro-magnetic project he'd created for a class and then forgotten on the bus this past Friday.
No charges were filed against the student and everything appears back to normal now. Meanwhile, the folks at the Boulder PD aren't criticizing Fairview types for panicking. The release about the incident concludes, "Police remind anyone who finds an unattended bag or suspicious package to use caution. If an unattended bag causes a person to be suspicious, it's best to leave the bag where it is (don't handle it) and call 9-1-1 immediately, providing the bag's location and description, and wait for police to respond."
And the press to react.
More from our Education archive: "Video: Teen arrested for bomb found near 'high-traffic area' at Centaurus High School."
