Denver Public Schools does not have a mechanism to track students involved with the juvenile justice system, The Denver Gazette has learned.
And that’s a problem, community members and parents said.
The revelation takes on new meaning in the aftermath of an East High School shooting last week that left two administrators wounded and the alleged shooter dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.
“You don’t track what you don’t want to know,” said Jeff Fard, executive director of Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center Denver.
Founded in 1994, the cultural center is a community space committed to Denver’s youth.
With school walkouts over gun violence and demands for state lawmakers to take action, The Denver Gazette sought to learn from Denver Public Schools (DPS) how many students enrolled in the district have been engaged with the juvenile justice system.
On March 17, about a week before the East High shooting, The Denver Gazette submitted a public information request under Colorado’s Open Record Act (CORA) for the number of justice-involved students who had graduated, dropped out, and those who have an individual support plan.
Officials responded on March 22, saying the district does not possess any responsive records.
In the wake of last week’s shooting, The Denver Gazette pressed school officials again.
“The district does not maintain a report or a reporting system that could provide you with a responsive document,” Stacy Wheeler, the district’s CORA officer, said in an email Tuesday.
A district spokesperson also reiterated this, saying DPS “does not have a running tally.”
Ashlee Lane, who has a 15-year-old daughter that attends East High School, said she is concerned the lack of tracking means the district won’t be able to identify trends and effectively respond to security threats.
“These students somehow need to be given an education that keeps everyone safe,” Lane said.
Superintendent Alex Marrero has been very tightlipped with information related to the number of students who may pose a safety risk because he said the number fluctuates from day-to-day.
On Monday, Board Vice President Auon'tai M. Anderson said that the school district has to balance the public’s safety concerns with the right justice-involved students have to a free public education.
But he also acknowledged, given the accused shooter had transferred from another school district, that the district could learn from this situation.
“For us, it is an opportunity for us to reflect on how we are looking at all students who come in,” Anderson said.
Whatever the number, the bottom line for parents is maintaining a safe learning environment.
“I do feel that, especially in a case where there’s a safety concern for staff and students, that this is something they should be tracking and know,” Lane said.
