#2 - Maximize School Safety
Students in Denver feel increasingly unsafe.
Parents worry about sending their children to school. The recent shootings, in and around East High School, made it clear that the Board of Education must be both strategic and transparent about their approach to student safety. EDUCATE Denver believes that the district should initiate plans to screen all students for social and emotional challenges and partner with the City and non-profit community to provide students in need with wrap-around supports and mental health resources. However, given the current state of discourse in Denver about school safety, EDUCATE Denver believes that at present, the Board should prioritize policies and a budget allocation that establish equity in the development and management of student behavior; securing of facilities; training of staff; and elimination of gun violence in and around our schools.
Board members pledge to:
Report to the community quarterly on the percentage of schools that meet the highest level of compliance (as defined by the district) for safe, secure, and supportive facilities and faculty.
Empower school communities to develop and implement safety-related measures that are desired by a given community and extend beyond those required in the district.
Report quarterly to the public on the number of and location of weapons violations in Denver Public Schools.
Pursue promising policies around violence prevention.
Secure resources to screen all students for social-emotional challenges and work to pair those in need with appropriate services.
Evaluate adequacy and implementation of the district’s diversity, equity, and inclusion training; hold the Superintendent accountable to rectify situations where data and/or honest dialogue reveal gaps or non-compliance that may perpetuate an unsafe environment.
Student Outcomes
Students will experience safe learning environments, free of ANY weapons-related violence in or around Denver Public Schools.
Aggregate student attendance rates will exceed 90%.
Students and staff will demonstrate cultural sensitivity and engage in respectful relationships, evidenced by a majority of positive school climate survey.
