In Fort Collins and Larimer County, Interference with Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions is charged when a person is accused of causing some sort of issue that prevents a school from functioning normally. A juvenile was recently charged with multiple counts of this crime after a social media post caused a commotion. Limited information is being provided related to the incident due to the fact the person charged is a juvenile, however it is known that a social media post caused schools and neighborhoods to heighten security measures.
Larimer County Juvenile Attorney: How is Interference with a School Charged in Colorado?
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Interference with Staff, Faculty, or Students of Educational Institutions – C.R.S. 18-9-109 – is:
(a) Lawful freedom of movement on the premises;
(b) Lawful use of the property or facilities of the institution;
(c) The right of lawful ingress and egress to the institution’s physical facilities.
(2) No person shall, on the premises of any educational institution or at or in any building or other facility being used by any educational institution, willfully impede the staff or faculty of such institution in the lawful performance of their duties or willfully impede a student of the institution in the lawful pursuit of his educational activities through the use of restraint, abduction, coercion, or intimidation or when force and violence are present or threatened.
(3) No person shall willfully refuse or fail to leave the property of or any building or other facility used by any educational institution upon being requested to do so by the chief administrative officer, his designee charged with maintaining order on the school premises and in its facilities, or a dean of such educational institution, if such person is committing, threatens to commit, or incites others to commit any act which would disrupt, impair, interfere with, or obstruct the lawful missions, processes, procedures, or functions of the institution.
(6)
(a) A person shall not knowingly make or convey to another person a credible threat to cause death or to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon against:
(I) A person the actor knows or believes to be a student, school official, or employee of an educational institution; or
(II) An invitee who is on the premises of an educational institution.
(b) For purposes of this subsection (6), “credible threat” means a threat or physical action that would cause a reasonable person to be in fear of bodily injury with a deadly weapon or death.
While there isn’t much information available, my guess would be that the heightened security measures limited movement on the school grounds, which meant that students and faculty were affected. There could also be a charge if the social media post was a credible threat to the school or someone in the school.
Penalty for Interference with an Educational Facility in Loveland
In Fort Collins and Loveland, Interference with an Educational Facility is charged as follows:
- Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section, except subsection (1) or (6) of this section, commits a class 2 misdemeanor.
- A person who violates subsection (1) of this section commits a petty offense.
- A person who violates subsection (6) commits a class 1 misdemeanor.