Denver Public Schools superintendent addresses school closures and East High shooting death: "It was incredibly difficult, incredibly emotional"
Following the closures of three Denver Public Schools and recent shooting death outside East High School, Dr. Alex Marrero is answering questions from concerned parents, students and families.
DPS decided to close Denver Discovery, Math and Science Leadership Academy, and Fairview Elementary after an emotional and hours-long meeting on Thursday.
CBS News Colorado's Mekialaya White sat down with Dr. Marrero for a one-on-one interview on Friday morning.
"I want to thank the board for making a difficult decision," Dr. Marrero began. "It was incredibly difficult, incredibly emotional. Our team also had to do that, but the difference is we did it every evening when we went to those communities. It was a tough decision, but the right decision. We need to right-size the district. It's our existence as an educational entity to make sure that we remove barriers and allow our students to thrive. It was becoming impossible in those three locations."
With regards to the 12 other schools that could also close, he says they'll engage in a discussion with communities for a year-long process starting in October about the best solutions.
Those schools include International Academy of Denver at Harrington, Columbian Elementary, Schmitt Elementary, Hallett Academy, Palmer Elementary, Kaiser Elementary, Whittier K-8, Colfax Elementary, Eagleton Elementary, Ashley Elementary, Beach Court Elementary, and Cole Arts & Sciences Academy.
"Those are schools at a threshold but have historically seen a decline in enrollment. We have to wait until choice and wait until the start of the school year. We learned with Fairview some parents did not exercise choice and they expect the school to be there," he said. "At the end of the year, they'll come up with solutions which I don't have but the community will help us generate those."
When asked how the district addresses family concerns about safety right now, he responded saying, "I go right to the root cause. The root cause is how are youngsters accessing these firearms when they should not be. Those who are carrying weapons are doing so because the feel the need to protect themselves or they have access to it and it's an exploration."
He continued, "our hallways aren't terrifying. Our educators aren't monsters. I don't believe there's a culture of violence or students are afraid to come into our 200+ sites. At DPS we have been incredibly responsive: Our educators, not only are they educating students., they're doing a lot more than that, not saying that they're policing but they're being responsive."
Marrero says he and the Denver Police Department are developing a program that could help students form a better relationship with law enforcement, while increasing safety for schools around the district.
"Former Chief Pazen, Chief Thomas and I are also developing the PEERS Program, or police establishing equitable relationships with students. I want to make sure they see our partners in law enforcement as that partners, anchors in the community as opposed to threats."
Denver Public Schools will also hold a community meeting on student safety on March 11 at 11 a.m. at Manual High School, which is located on 1700 E 28th Ave, Denver CO 80205.
The public is invited to join and engage in a conversation with district leaders.
