Hinesburg police officers providing security at CVU after shooting threat

On Thursday, Champlain Valley Union High students arrived at school to find members of the Hinesburg Police Department on duty after a shooting threat.

According to police, they received information at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, that a Burlington High School student threatened to “shoot up the school.”

The father of a CVU student said the Burlington High student made the threat against his daughter, her friends and the school.

Although the student claimed he had a handgun, when Burlington Police went to his home, his parents said he doesn’t own a handgun.

In a release, the Hinesburg Police Department said officers would be at CVU when students arrived and would “provide heightened coverage for the rest of the day.”

The Vermont State Police, the Hinesburg Police Department, the Burlington Police Department and CVU are still investigating the matter.

Principal Adam Bunting has praise for the actions of the parents in getting in touch with the school, for the Hinesburg Police Department for its presence at the school and for students who had planned to walk out on Thursday to honor victims of recent mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, and Uvalde, Texas. The CVU students agreed to postpone their walkout until Friday.

On Friday, when students arrived at school there was music playing and there was a vigil. At 10:45 a.m. a few hundred students walked out, Bunting said.

It appears the Burlington High student made the threat over a series of days before a CVU student realized it was a serious situation and told an adult.

Bunting said he appreciated the relationships within his school’s community, whether it’s relationships students have with their parents or with trusted adults they feel comfortable sharing with when something like this happens.

He is also appreciative that the Hinesburg Police responded immediately and devoted so many resources to the school. And he’s appreciative that “they’re only 20 seconds down the road” from CVU.

“I just really feel thankful for our community and the number of parents who just reached out,” Bunting said, adding he was grateful to have a student walk up to him in the hall and say, “I want to make sure you’re OK.”