Thompson Valley High School protest ended after alleged threat to students participating

LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) — Students at Thompson Valley High School marched out of their classrooms Monday to speak out about safety in schools and show their solidarity for Evergreen High School following last week’s shooting.

“Everyone was coming together and uniting, then we were told we received threats that people were going to come to our protest and shoot us while we were actively protesting,” said Natalie Farney, a junior at the school.

Natalie explained she was one of the organizers of the march and that when she first started hearing about the alleged threats, she originally thought they were rumors.

Thompson School District R-2J told FOX31 on Tuesday that approximately 50 students participated.

“I went and talked to the campus officer and he said, ‘Yes, these threats are real, you will want to wrap this up soon,'” Natalie relayed.

She said many students had signs in hand during the protest. She said the plan was always to remain peaceful and help pass along their voice.

“I never in a million years thought someone would go out of their way to threaten a group of children who are standing up for what they believe in,” Natalie said.

Natalie’s mom, Kristie, also spoke with FOX31. She said she is proud of her daughter for speaking out and encourages her to keep doing so.

“I want to say I am really proud of my daughter and all those students who showed up to protest what they believe in,” Kristie said. “There is a lot of pride.”

Mom Kristie said right when Natalie told her about the threats, she drove to the school.

“I went and picked her up,” Kristie said. “I just can’t take that chance. Her safety is more important.”

Once they got home, Kristie took to TikTok and posted a video that gained a lot of traction, looking for change when it comes to sending their students off to school every day.

“They called in security, law enforcement to make sure they were safe, but still with flashing lights and a beautiful scene, someone had to go and make a threat out of it,” Kristie said.

FOX31 reached reached out to the Loveland Police Department, which sent us the following information:

“As of now, this remains an active investigation under case number LP25-0007844. While legitimacy has not yet been confirmed, no possibility is being dismissed. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness. Out of an abundance of caution, we have increased school security and are actively monitoring all related complaints while working to gather evidence.”

“Something needs to be done to stop these shootings. No one should walk into a place of education scared,” Natalie said.