As school resource officers return to DPS campuses, concerns that led to their removal remain

The shooting at East High School Wednesday morning has reignited the debate around school resource officers in Denver Public Schools.

In June 2020, the school board unanimously voted to pull them out following the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed. 

While DPS School Board members have decided to put them back in schools for now, some are calling for a broader look at student safety.

"To the extent we reduce this conversation to one single action we are not doing our kids justice," said Denver Councilwoman Robin Kniech. She represents the entire city and is chair of the Safety Committee.

The issues around security are both professional and personal as she has a son headed into a DPS high school in the fall. 

"It's not enough because really by the time we are at the front gate of the school a lot of the things that have been happening in a youth's life -- a lot of the things in any individual's life -- have already taken shape," she said.

Movimiento Poder was behind the push to remove school resource officers from schools.  The nonprofit's executive director Elsa Banuelos says their stance hasn't changed and the need for support is greater than ever. 

"In inner city schools, we are struggling, we don't have access that other communities have. We don't have access to mental health, we are struggling to pay rent and that causes a lot of stress and that comes out in different forms," she said.

While both say safety is top of mind, they point to more complicated issues that need focus like gun access. Kniech says she supports those wanting officers back in DPS buildings, but says it comes with concern. 

"My fear is that when we see school resource officers  go back into schools that somehow someone will feel like the job is done," she said.