Police contacted Aurora an hour after the kidnapping attempt

DENVER (KDVR) — It took about an hour for school staff to contact police after an attempted kidnapping at Black Forest Hills Elementary, according to an investigative report released Friday, according to an investigative report released Friday.

The principal — who has since been replaced — refused to call police more than once, and the school was not placed under increased security after the April 19 incident, the Cherry Creek Schools report said. Other students were taken outside for recess while the suspect remained at large and “presumably still in the neighborhood.”

Even after district security arrived about 25 minutes after the incident and instructed school staff to keep students indoors, teachers were not instructed to do so until about a full hour after the break-in.

The report includes a response timeline.

Police didn’t arrive at the school until almost two hours later

The man entered campus around 1:01 p.m. and was seen leaving about a minute later after running toward a group of fifth-graders.

According to the report, students ran away from the man and yelled “stranger danger.” An assistant professional heard the students radioing the principal while two other assistant professionals walked up to the man and watched him leave.

The principal arrived on the field at 1:08 p.m. and radioed her office manager to contact district security.

“At this time, neither the principal nor BFH staff have made contact with police, nor has any staff member placed the school in a secure area,” the report said.

The office manager told security at about 1:09 p.m. that “a woman came onto campus and attempted to grab a student” and then asked the principal if she should call the police.

“The principal responded that they would wait for district security to arrive,” the report states — and district security would not arrive for another 15 minutes.

The district’s safety coordinators received a call from dispatch at 1:12 p.m. and then attempted to call the principal twice in the next two minutes with no response. At 1:16 p.m., the principal asked the school’s mental health team and all fifth graders to report to the library.

The office manager asked the director again if she should call the police, but she said no.

When security coordinators arrived at 1:25 p.m., they told the office manager that the break would take place indoors for the rest of the day, according to the report. But two minutes later, the third-grade teachers and their students went to recess, where they stayed until 1:35 p.m. The office manager did not ask employees to keep their students indoors until 1:59 p.m

While a security coordinator began canvassing the neighborhood at 1:36 p.m., it wasn’t until 2:03 p.m. that a county security supervisor contacted the Aurora Police Department to request additional patrol cars during the layoff – but the department said none were available.

Parents were informed of the incident at 2:16 p.m

It wasn’t until around 2:44 p.m. that a school official arrived. The students were dismissed a minute later. Some took the regular bus, others walked or biked home while the suspect remained at large.

It wasn’t until 3:30 p.m. that county security learned that a person matching the suspect’s description was at a Walgreens store, the report said. At approximately 4 p.m., district security and the school resource office seized a piece of evidence that the suspect had left on the playground.

Cherry Creek Schools recommends changes

Cherry Creek Schools recommended that school support professionals receive additional training on active supervision and what to do when non-employees enter campus. The district also recommended district-wide crisis scenario training to ensure all processes are followed, including allowing any staff member to increase the school’s security posture if necessary.

Regarding the delays in communicating with police, the district recommended “taking appropriate disciplinary action to address this misstep and continuing education for all involved,” the report said.