Faithbridge nonprofit works to bring community together after East High School shooting to find solutions
Students, parents and teachers are frustrated about safety issues around Denver East High School following a shooting by the school that left one student in critical condition.
Ellie McGoldrick is a senior at the school and says she has never felt more scared in her four years there than she has in the past week.
"Something needs to change because I do not feel safe at school and I am definitely not the only one," McGoldrick said.
She continued by expressing she doesn't feel comfortable stepping onto the school campus right now.
"It's just very anxiety-inducing to go to school," McGoldrick said.
She's pushing for more safety measures following the shooting that left her classmate, Luis Garcia fighting for his life.
"There's been a lot of gun violence before but I feel like it is increasing with frequency and intensity," McGoldrick said.
She wants school leaders to take action now.
"I do think DPS does have to take a step back and look at implementing back school resource officers, and people who are armed and metal detectors," said McGoldrick.
In 2020, DPS voted to remove school resource officers from all schools due to the belief that close proximity of law enforcement to students on campuses directly adds to the school-to-prison pipeline, targeting black and brown students.
Since then, DPS reports the number of guns found and confiscated from students at schools has increased.
It's concerning for students like McGoldrick who say they feel safer with more security at their school.
"You feel helpless and scared and like there is nothing I can do," McGoldrick said.
This is why people like Vernon Jones Jr., the executive partner of FaithBridge, a nonprofit that is actively hosting a safe space for parents, staff, students and the community to create solutions has stepped in.
"When kids say they want to be safe or family say they want their kids to be safe they're not talking about in that moment, they are talking about a sustained solution so our role is to pull people together to say, 'ok what is it going to look like to have a sustainable system of care for the whole community of Denver?'" Jones said.
Jones says the school board and district leaders have been vocal and supportive, but it takes a village for change to happen.
"This is a very complex issue that just doesn't involve the school district, that the school district has responsibility but so do the rest of us …the adults need to get up and do the best thing for kids," Jones added.
Here are the statistics provided from DPS:
School Year | Facsimile Firearm | Firearm |
SY 2018-19 | 9 | 2 |
SY 2019-20 | 10 | 12 |
SY 2020-21 | 4 | 4 |
SY 2021-22 | 28 | 13 |
SY 2022-23* | 17 | 10 |
*Through 2/15/2023 |
