DENVER – Classes at all Denver Public Schools will be canceled Friday in the wake of the shooting at East High School, district officials announced Thursday.
To support families, we will have 14 Discovery Link extended care sites (https://t.co/AUdybYY77B) available from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, the district will be providing food pick up locations (https://t.co/P7ylAnilaa).
— Denver Public Schools (@DPSNewsNow) March 23, 2023
The announcement from Denver Public Schools said all students and staff will be given a “mental health day” Friday and will have the day off from school and work, following Wednesday's shooting at the campus. Two deans at the school were injured and a student suspect was later found dead following an hourslong search by law enforcement.
The news came on the same day as the Denver Public School Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss school safety and the reintroduction of armed officers, which were removed from Denver school campuses in 2020 as the country reeled from the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man from Minneapolis.
On Wednesday, DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero announced he was reintroducing armed officers to each of the district’s comprehensive high schools beginning Thursday through the remainder of the school year, despite the fact that doing so “likely violates” Board of Education policy, according to a letter he sent to board members.
Marrero’s decision to reintroduce armed officers across city high schools comes after several calls from East High students and parents to increase security following the shooting death of one of their classmates, 16-year-old Luis Garcia. Those calls were only heightened by this most recent shooting on campus.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7, visit Colorado Crisis Services, or click here for a list of resources in Colorado.
