Denver Public Schools Safety Plan is under the guise of safety but at the cost of equity and justice.
With the release of the long-term safety plan, I feel compelled to write this open letter to express my grave concerns about the operational long-term safety plan presented by Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero. In the face of adversity, Dr. Marrero, his team, and the community members that were on the advisory council demonstrated immense resilience following the crisis at Denver East High School, for which I extend my heartfelt gratitude. I am grateful the Superintendent has endorsed my message against exclusionary discipline. He stated, “Students who make mistakes are not inherently violent or criminals. We all have made bad decisions. Yet there is room for redemption. All children deserve to be loved and cared for.” However, certain elements of the proposed plan are deeply concerning, gravely misaligned with our community’s shared values, and raise significant questions about the future trajectory of our school district.
Firstly, the decision to install weapons detection systems within our schools is gravely disheartening. It is an affront to the very ethos of education. Schools are sacred spaces of intellectual exploration and character-building, not institutions to be securitized and militarized. The introduction of weapons detection systems is a disconcerting step toward transforming our educational institutions into something resembling prison facilities.
This move does not guarantee increased safety for our students. In fact, history and numerous studies reveal that it often leads to the opposite. It has been widely documented that such measures disproportionately impact Black and Brown students, creating an environment of fear and mistrust that impedes their ability to learn and thrive. By making our schools feel more like correctional institutions, we are sending a harmful message to our students that they are seen more as potential perpetrators than as learners and future leaders.
It is a gross misallocation of our resources to direct funding toward the militarization of our schools when we could instead be investing in resources that genuinely contribute to the safety and well-being of our students. Our focus should be on providing increased mental health services, counseling, and social support systems that nurture our students’ growth, understanding, and resilience. These services not only address the root causes of many behavioral issues but also equip our students with the tools to navigate challenges in a healthy and productive way.
The militarization of our schools is not the answer to the complex issues we face. It is a short-term, surface-level solution that only serves to perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline.
But my disappointment does not end there. A far more distressing element of this safety plan is the regrettable decision of the pro-police majority on the School Board to reinstate School Resource Officers (SROs) in our schools. This decision is a blatant disregard for the myriad of data that reveals the potentially damaging effects SROs can have on children of color. Yet, the pro-police majority have chosen to overlook these facts, displaying a startling lack of empathy, understanding, and foresight.
The conduct of the pro-police majority on our School Board starkly mirrors the currently problematic actions of our Supreme Court. Just as we have seen progress chipped away by the highest court in the land, our School Board seems intent on eroding the advances we have fought tirelessly for over the past years.
The return of SROs is a lamentable step back. It’s a decision that harks back to the times before 2020 when the presence of these officers resulted in an unnecessary and harmful criminalization of minor infractions. Following their removal, we witnessed a staggering 90% reduction in tickets and citations in our schools. This translated into protecting our Black and Brown children from being unjustly and disproportionately thrust into the School-to-Prison pipeline. We had begun to dismantle a system that has for far too long punished our children excessively for their adolescent mistakes.
Yet, now, we stand on the brink of undoing this significant progress. The same system that we had fought tooth and nail to dismantle is being reintroduced, all under the guise of safety, but at the cost of equity and justice.
Transparency is a principle we hold dear in our democratic system and within our community. Yet, the veil of secrecy around the March Executive Session, convened in response to the East High School incident, raises severe concerns about the very fabric of our governance. I implore the Board to release the tape from this session. It is imperative for our community to understand the rationale behind these significant decisions and to scrutinize the evidence, or lack thereof, that resulted in the reinstatement of SROs.
If we had received the judge’s ruling prior to the vote — a ruling that fundamentally challenged our decision to bring back SROs — would the outcome have been the same? I contend that it would not. The haste with which these decisions were made, without considering their long-term implications, is a disservice to our students, our schools, and our city.
To overlook hard data, to disregard the lived experiences of our most vulnerable students, and to prioritize political convenience over justice is a profound misstep for the School Board. Our charge is to serve every student within Denver Public Schools, not to the self-serving interest of political expedience.
This plan, in its current form, fails to embody our fundamental value of equity. It exhibits a critical lack of understanding of the true needs of our students and the long-lasting effects that these decisions can have on their futures. We must demand a strategy that prioritizes both the mental and physical safety of our students without compromising their rights and freedoms.
Let us always remember our actions today lay the foundation for tomorrow’s world. The legacy we leave should not be one of disappointment and regression but of progress, hope, and relentless pursuit of justice. The future of Denver Public Schools, and indeed our city, deserves better than this. We can — and must — demand better.
Denver School Board Vice President, Auon’tai Anderson
