DENVER — School resource officers will return to Denver Public Schools next year after the school board voted to reverse a decision it made three years ago.
The board’s decision on Thursday followed months of intense debate about how to best protect schools from violence.
As director of safety and security at Aurora Public Schools, Greg Cazzell is familiar with school resource officers.
“In Aurora, we've had them in our schools for over 20 years. Two [school resource officers] at every high school, along with armed campus safety officers,” said Cazzell.
Cazzell will leave his position at Aurora in a couple of weeks to become the new safety chief at Denver Public Schools.
Cazzell will be in charge of implementing the district’s new long-term safety plan, which will now likely include school resource officers after the school board voted 4 to 3 Thursday to overturn a decision it made in 2020 that got rid of them.
DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero has been working on the safety plan over the last few months following shootings at and near East High School.
In February, a 16-year-old student, Luis Garcia, was shot near the school. He died from his injuries a couple of weeks later.
In March, a student shot two administrators while they were performing a pat down.
“It’s taking that decision-making out of our hands and giving it to the superintendent,” said school board member Scott Baldermann, who introduced the proposal Thursday.
Baldermann says since the board removed school resource officers, there has been a significant rise in real and fake guns found in schools.
He says violence has gotten worse.
"We’ve seen a huge rise in violence outside of schools, and it's creeping more and more into our schools,” said Baldermann.
School board vice president Auon'tai Anderson led the fight to get rid of school resource officers in 2020 amid nationwide protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd.
He says the board’s decision to allow school resource officers to return will cause more harm.
“I'm very disappointed with the decision,” said Anderson. “I believe that this decision was not rooted in data, was not rooted in best practices. And overall, it's going to hurt students of color.”
Anderson also provided multiple examples of shootings that occurred with officers present or nearby as evidence that school resource officers won't necessarily keep students safer.
Anderson criticized the four board members who voted to allow school resource officers to return.
Baldermann, board president Xochitl Gaytan, Carrie Olson, and Charmaine Lindsay voted in favor of school resource officers.
"I strongly believe that these individuals need to rethink their futures on the Denver School Board because this is not who we are as Denver Public Schools," said Anderson.
Anderson, along with board members Scott Esserman and Michelle Quattlebaum, voted against allowing school resource officers to return permanently.
The board temporarily lifted the ban on school resource officers following the March shooting at East.
Thursday's vote now means the ban is lifted permanently.
"If it stops one kid from bringing a loaded gun into a school, I think it’s worth it,” said Baldermann.
Baldermann said "guardrails" would be in place to protect students of color.
"Ultimately, I want to live in a society that is where our schools are free of police," said Baldermann. "We need to always be working toward that."
Cazzell, who spoke with Denver7 two days before the board’s vote, says he understands the concerns many have.
“Our marginalized communities have a distrust of law enforcement. The [school resource officers] need to recognize that and understand that,” said Cazzell. “We need to make sure that we're recognizing those concerns and doing what we can to alleviate that concern.”
Cazzell says Aurora never experienced any major problems with school resource officers.
"But it's important to make sure that the [school resource officer] fits in, that it's part of that school community, understands that culture understands that population," said Cazzell.
Cazzell says while school resource officers get a lot of attention and spark heated debate, mental health access for students also plays a major role in keeping schools safe.
“Mental health is probably at or above some of the most important aspects of it,” said Cazzell.
Marrero released the second draft of his plan in late May.
The final draft of the superintendent’s safety plan is due June 30.
The plan will be considered and voted on by the school board.
