The first draft is out.

So, what do people think about the security plan Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero released Monday?

To find out, the Denver Gazette spoke to a former educator, a security consultant, a potential school board candidate and a community organizer.

DPS releases first draft of comprehensive safety plan

Their comments – each said – must be weighed understanding that this was the first of three drafts, with the final to be released June 26.

With such differing backgrounds, it’s not surprising that each one emphasized a different aspect of the 48-page report from facility vulnerabilities and training to community involvement and the reintroduction of school resource officers.

Even still, they all shared a common thread.

The report – they all said – was heavy on current DPS policy and short on safety details.

“It’s really wordy,” said Paul Ballenger, a security consultant with a daughter who attends McAuliffe International School. “There’s a lot of fluff in there.”

SROs, metal detectors and student pat downs

Kwame Spearman, former Tattered Cover CEO and potential at-large DPS Board of Education candidate, said Marrero punted by pushing off the decision to principals.

“You can’t just say the community and the principal are going to decide; that’s crazy,” Spearman said.

Marrero recommended the decision to place SROs or metal detectors in buildings should be left to each individual school.

Pat downs, Ballenger said, should be left to the professionals. Students suspected of weapons should be offered an alternative to the traditional classroom.

“If it’s that serious, they shouldn’t be on campus,” Ballenger said.

42 DPS students required pat downs the week of East High shooting

Training

Jamie Lofaro, a retired principal, said she read the draft report carefully for information on in-person training.

“I never got a formal training,” Lofaro said of dealing with potentially violent situations.

Retired in 2020 after 30 years with DPS, Lofaro served five years at Prep Academy, the only school that is required to accept expelled students.

Lofaro, who worked part-time in the district through December, added, “My deans never got trained. Nothing has been in person.”

Community engagement

While the final safety plan is expected to be translated in all the consent decree languages – Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, French, Mandarin, Nepali, Somali and Vietnamese – the draft released Monday was only printed in three of the eight.

And the majority of surveys, to get feedback from the community, were completed by those living in the “near Northeast.”

Anita Banuelos, director of community organizing for Transform Education Now, has been doing community organizing work since 2010.

“I don’t feel that they had put any emphasis on community input to get a plan,” said Banuelos, whose organizing work has focused on southwest Denver.

Banuelos added, “I think it just goes back to the concern that DPS continues to make decisions for us instead of with us.”

DPS deans to unionize in the wake of East High School shooting

Facility assessments

Ballenger has done security consulting for schools in Colorado and Southern California. He read the draft to see not was in the report, but what was missing.

A threat analysis – Ballenger said – should examine prior and current incidents as well as a review of facility vulnerabilities.

Ballenger rattled off missing security measures like a kid counts change:

Cameras, lighting, reinforced steel doors, auto-locking devices that can be engaged at the campus and doors without an outside handle.

“It’s going to be expensive,” Ballenger said. “It’s going to take time.”

Ballenger added, “The biggest obstacle to fixing it is denial.”

Debrief

On March 22, a 17-year-old shot and wounded two administrators, prompting the school board to temporarily return cops to schools after cutting ties with the Denver Police Department in 2020.

The incident also led the board to direct Marrero to create a comprehensive security plan.

That was 41 days ago.

Where is the debrief, these folks asked.

“What did they learn from the East incident,” Banuelos asked. “What did they learn about keeping kids safe, keeping staff safe?”

Banuelos added, “It’s not a plan that says here are our strengths, our weaknesses, our opportunities. Where is the plan? I don’t feel like this is an actual plan.”