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The Denver Postdenverpost.comPosted: 12/17/2012 07:20:39 PM MSTDecember 18, 2012 2:21 AM GMTUpdated: 12/17/2012 07:20:40 PM MST
As uneasy parents across the nation sent their children back to class Monday, thousands of them in Colorado did so with schools' attempts at reassurance tucked away in their inboxes.
"In light of the tragedy in Connecticut, we will begin keeping our front doors locked . . ." began an email to parents at one Douglas County school.
"PSD is committed to ensuring that all students continue to remain safe in our schools," Poudre School District Superintendent Nancy Wright wrote to parents in her district.
Counselors, class discussions and locked doors were deployed with seemingly equal intensity after the massacre of 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut school once again reminded educators of the need to walk a fine line between keeping schools safe and turning them into armed camps.
A first order of business at many schools was not just the physical safety but the emotional health of kids who may or may not have heard accounts of the bloodbath over the weekend.
Stefan McVoy, school director at Denver School of Science and Technology's Stapleton campus, told parents that students were informed at their regular Monday morning meeting that if they need to talk, someone will be there.
"We recognize that students will process this information in different ways - for some, it will seem like a world away; but for others, it may be difficult to sit in a classroom," McVoy wrote to parents.
"Rest assured, our intent is not to dwell on the issue, but to simply acknowledge that there are caring adults who can help . . ." he wrote.
At the same time, McVoy reminded parents that they need to show identification when they visit the school, "even though we are likely to recognize many of you."
In Jefferson County, where they know as well as anyone how quickly a typical school day can unfold into a national nightmare, security is always a priority, said spokeswoman Lynn Setzer.
That's not to say the district that is home to Columbine High School is complacent.
"I'm sure no school district would say they have everything 100 percent right; you're always thinking about and looking at your practices and you want to be open to looking for improvements to what you have in place," she said.
On the Western slope, Mesa County schools has five full-time resource officers from local law enforcement agencies. Monday, they added more, with police driving around neighborhoods near schools.
"We wanted to put students', staff and parents' minds at ease," said Tim Leon, district director of safety, security and transportation.
In Douglas County, Superintendent Liz Fagen said that when news broke about the shooting in Connecticut, county and law enforcement officials immediately began re-arranging their calendars to set up a meeting Monday morning.
By Monday afternoon, the district had released a plan of action, some ideas being implemented immediately, others to be added over time.
Among them: Creating a marshal program similar to that used by the Transportation Security Administration. Only instead of trying to blend in with airline passengers, these plain-clothes officers would be in schools.
"You never know if there's one a plane when you're flying," Fagen said. "It would be the same with the schools; there wouldn't be a marked car in the parking lot where someone could go, 'Oh, Bill is here today, I'd better go to another school.'"
Douglas County schools offer free wi-fi to law enforcement officials. The school district wants to take that a step further: officers in the field who need to write reports are asked to do so from schools, just to get them on school grounds. To sweeten the deal, any law enforcement official can get a free lunch at any Douglas County school.
Even with lots of ideas, Fagen realizes no system is perfect.
"The law enforcement officials were very clear that we can be creative and innovative but they can't guarantee that nothing will ever happen," she said.
"But these ideas, taking this multi-layered approach, will really move the odds more in our favor."
Staff writer Anthony Cotton contributed to this report.
Karen Augé: 303-954-1733, kauge
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