Parents safety group expresses frustration with Denver Public Schools Board of EducationTom Hellauer
tom.hellauer@denvergazette.comTomHellauer
tom.hellauer@denvergazette.com
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Five hundred and eighty-three days.

That is the number of days the Denver Public Schools Board of Education has waited for Superintendent Alex Marrero to provide a safety plan.

Members of the Parents-Safety Advocacy Group (P-SAG) – organized in the wake of last month’s shooting at East High School that seriously wounded two school administrators – on Monday called the wait reckless and irresponsible.

“Five hundred and eighty-three days ago – how can we call that a priority?” asked Vernon Jones Jr., father of two DPS students and executive partner of FaithBridge.

Jones added, “You cannot convince me that our children matter when you can drag your feet for 583 days, hop around the nation to go to conferences, do all these other things and we still don’t have a plan for safety across our district.”

On Oct. 21, 2021, the board approved what’s called “EL-11” or an executive limitation, which describes what the superintendent cannot do. In describing the superintendent’s limitations, the board tasked him with developing and maintaining a safe schools plan.

“The Board of Education recognizes that effective learning and teaching takes place in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment and that safe schools contribute to improved attendance, increased student achievement, and community support,” the limitation reads. “Safe schools are a priority of the district and the district is committed to providing a safe environment in school, on school vehicles, and at school-sponsored activities.”

It is unclear when Marrero was supposed to have drafted and presented this safety plan.

Board Vice President Auon’tai M. Anderson, who attended Monday’s news conference, took issue with the “583 days” timeframe, saying that the board has discussed the executive limitation requiring a safety plan as recent as March.

“We have been talking about this for months,” Anderson said. “It was prolonged and derailed due to the shooting because we haven’t reconvened since then to do our policy governance work.”

The board was supposed to discuss the matter on March 9. But that discussion was postponed, according to minutes of the meeting.

Jones was among the roughly two dozen P-SAG who met at the Thatcher Memorial Fountain in City Park on Monday. The group, which has held news conferences the past three weeks, said it would continue to do so through the end of the academic year to demand greater transparency from the district.

The group intends to draft its own recommendations by the end of May, about a month before Marrero is required by the board to deliver his safety plan.

‘Obtain their consent’

P-SAG members also took issue with an April 7 meeting, in which the district appears to have doubled down on its pat down policy, which requires unarmed administrators – such as the two deans shot last month – to search students.

Obtained by The Denver Gazette and confirmed in a Colorado Open Records Act request submitted on April 11, a district PowerPoint presentation shows searches are to be conducted pursuant to an “Action and Intervention Plan” by a “trained and trusted” adult, as well as campus safety officers.

When searching for a firearm or dangerous weapon, “A Campus Safety Officer (CSO) of DPS patrol officer should be involved in the search, unless an Action and Intervention Plan lists other individuals as responsible for the search (in which case notification is not required unless a firearm or dangerous weapon is, in fact, discovered),” the DPS PowerPoint instruction said.

Searches are to be conducted in an office or other secluded place to maintain the student’s privacy.

These searches – district officials said in the PowerPoint – can be conducted without the consent of a parent or guardian. If a student refuses, though, “Team members should work with students to obtain their consent” or call the Department of Climate and Safety dispatch for assistance, the instruction said in part.

Dr. Lynsee Hudson, a P-SAG founding member, noted that the Department of Climate and Safety lacks steady leadership with an interim chief, Robert Grossaint, at the helm.

Rather than accepting feedback from concerned parents and teachers, the district – Hudson said – employed a safety consultant.

“We think it’s important to acknowledge that the only real work we see happening is outside the district level,” Hudson said.

‘Behind closed doors’

Later, during a board meeting on Monday, Marrero provided a timeline for completing his safety plan.

According to “DPS Thrives: A Strategic Roadmap to the Denver Public Schools Experience” – which was posted on the agenda and removed prior to the meeting – Marrero intends to release a preliminary report on May 1.

Then Marrero intends to engage the community with virtual town halls.

A final version of Marrero’s safety plan is expected on June 26.

Marrero said Monday evening that the district had already invited community members to serve on his advisory committee and will rely heavily on surveys.

Board members suggested expanding the committee to increase the number of students serving and include those from the refugee community and those in alternative schools DPS calls “pathways” schools, among others.

“This is the only approach considering the short runway,” Marrero said, adding he was open to feedback on his plan.

Jones and other P-SAG members took issue with Marrero’s approach, which he has said would be directed by professionals.

“Don’t get behind closed doors and executive sessions,” Jones said. “We’re here to be included.”

The district has seen a shuffle in leadership in the district’s top post since Superintendent Susana Cordova, who served less than two years, left in November 2020.

The board first requested Cordova to revisit the district’s safety plan after voting to remove school resource officers from campuses in June 2020, in the wake of summer protests against the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

Marrero took the helm in July 2021, replacing Interim Superintendent Dwight Jones, who followed Cordova.

Marrero has not yet provided the board and public with a safety update since two East High School administrators were shot on March 22.