Superintendent Alex Marrero said Wednesday that he will place armed officers in Denver’s comprehensive high schools following the shooting at East High despite the fact that doing so “likely violates” Board of Education policy, according to a letter he sent to board members.
“However, I can no longer stand on the sidelines,” Marrero wrote in the letter to the school board. “I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions.”
The decision to have armed police in city schools comes after East students and parents called for tighter security measures following the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old student in February and on the heels of a second shooting Wednesday in which two administrators were injured.
Two armed officers from the Denver Police Department will be stationed at East during school hours for the rest of the academic year. Marrero is also “committing” to have an armed officer at each comprehensive high school and to have conversations with principals “to understand their continuing need and desire for this resource,” according to his letter.
The school board overseeing Colorado’s largest district voted in 2020 to remove the Denver Police Department’s resource officers following the protests over the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Members have argued that police officers in schools are harmful to students of color and play a role in the school-to-prison pipeline.
The district has faced calls to bring police back into schools since February after a student was shot while sitting in his car outside of the school. Luis Garcia, a junior, died from his injuries earlier this month.
Students have also advocated for more gun legislation and said they want the district to find other ways to improve safety, such as investing in community programs or adding metal detectors.
On Wednesday, a second shooting occurred — this time inside the school — as two administrators were wounded by a student while performing a daily search of the teen for weapons.
“The Board of Education supports the decision of Superintendent Marrero to work in partnership with local law enforcement to create safer learning spaces across Denver Public Schools for the remainder of this school year,” the school board said in a statement Wednesday. “In addition, we will continue to work collaboratively with our community partners including law enforcement and our local and state legislature to make our community safer.”
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, in a statement Wednesday evening, said he agreed with Marrero that “the safety of students and the public require deployment of police officers assigned to the high school for the remainder of the school year.”
He added that he directed Denver police Chief Ron Thomas “to support this effort and deploy our officers accordingly in coordination with the school district.”
DPS board President Xochitl “Sochi” Gaytan said the school board is planning to hold a news conference Thursday. She did not respond directly to questions about where members stand on armed police in schools.
The board canceled its regular Thursday board meeting, replacing it with a special meeting to discuss security arrangements. At least part of Thursday’s meeting will take place in closed session, according to the agenda.
The closed session was requested by Marrero. The board’s policy on not staffing schools with resource officers or armed security conflicts with its policy on safety, the superintendent wrote in his letter.
The safety policy states: “In light of the increase in gun violence in our communities, which poses a threat to the safety of our schools, the district will collaborate with local law enforcement, community partners, advocacy organizations and school communities to proactively mitigate internal and external threats to safety.”
Marrero wrote in his letter that, “I do not believe I can execute the board’s desires as expressed” in the safety policy, while a policy barring armed security and the resolution removing resource officers from schools remain in place.
“It is important we find common ground and ensure our students and staff are safe and find alignment of our existing values,” he said.
Updated 8 p.m. March 22, 2023 This story has been updated to clarify that Superintendent Alex Marrero said he plans to put armed officers in the district’s comprehensive high schools.
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