Students who talked to Jeffco Public School leaders on Tuesday said they want a slow transition back to school and a clear understanding of what to expect when they’re back.
That’s according to a letter the school district sent to families late Tuesday summarizing what they heard when district leaders met with Evergreen High School student senate members.
Students also shared they’re worried about rumors circulating on social media and about some of what they’re hearing on the news.
The Jeffco Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday published a few more details about the shooting and the timeline of events, despite the ongoing investigation, because they want to put to rest some of the rumors that have circulated since the shooting.
Tyler Guyton, 18, a member of the student senate group, said he felt the meeting went well and thinks the new information that the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office shared is helping.
“They have been very transparent,” Guyton said.
He added that students appreciate that they feel that the district is prioritizing their thoughts and opinions, including with the meeting this week and the survey that all students will get later Wednesday.
“We’re all on the same page about what we want next week to look like,” Guyton said.
Classes have been canceled since the shooting and for the rest of this week, but the district is working on plans to resume classes. More details are expected to be shared by Sunday after the district gathers more feedback.
The school district and the Sheriff’s Office also published a joint statement Wednesday reiterating that an existing intergovernmental agreement outlines how the School Resource Officer program works in Jeffco schools.
The agreement lists 12 schools, including Evergreen High, that are to have an officer, but those officers are employees of the Sheriff’s Office, and those placements are dependent on the agency being able to staff them.
The sheriff’s office has said that the SRO assigned to Evergreen High was on medical leave for the last 11 months, and other SROs were filling in part-time as they covered multiple schools instead of only being assigned to one.
As students return to school, however, the Sheriff’s Office plans to rearrange staff to ensure a full-time SRO is present at Evergreen High.
“Our shared goal has always been to have at least one full-time SRO in every middle and high school, which requires substantial financial support and a sufficient number of qualified deputies,” Jeffco Sheriff Reggie Marinelli said in the statement. “No doubt there is a need — we have been and continue to work together to strategically staff these critical positions. We will remain committed to hiring the very best deputies for our agency and our community. I remain steadfast in fighting for the funding our students deserve.”
