Plans to implement later school start times for middle and high schools continue to move forward. This fall, consulting company School Bus Logistics is drawing up models of what those changes could look like for Jeffco Schools. Jeffco hired the company in August to assess the financial and logistical hurdles involved in changing start times….
Wednesday’s school closure and the 20th anniversary of the Columbine tragedy have made for a very challenging week for our community. Anniversaries are always difficult, as is finding a way to sensitively talk about school violence with children. There are resources that can help. “Seeking out mental health counseling is not a sign of weakness,…
Additional mental health support for Jeffco students is in the works due to funding from 5A, the mill levy override approved in November. The district will use some of that funding to expand mental health support by adding a half-time Social Emotional Learning Specialist (SELS) to every elementary school. The goal of adding SELS is…
Jeffco Schools will premiere a two-hour delayed start pilot in March as a potential option to a full-closure or regular school schedule for hazardous weather days, Superintendent Jason Glass told board members at their Feb. 7 regular meeting. “The question frequently comes up, ‘Why doesn’t Jeffco have a delay?’” Glass said. Several metro-area school districts…
After days of counting and waiting, the fate of Jeffco Schools’ mill and bond is nearly resolved and both 5A and 5B are winning. Voters approved 5A, a $33 million mill levy override with approximately 55 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, the fate of the $567 million bond also looked positive, with the We Are Jeffco campaign reporting…
Staffing all middle and high school entry points with Jeffco security personnel, ensuring there is a School Resource Officer (SRO) at each middle and high school, adding campus supervisors to all middle schools, and increasing the number of qualified behavioral health specialists were top recommendations presented by the Safety Task Force at the Jeffco School…
In July, Jeffco PEN published an article about the various mental health resources available to Jeffco students. In response, we heard from a female Jeffco student who graduated in May. We have chosen to keep information about this student confidential, but have permission to share the following details from “someone who received lots of mental…
The Jeffco School Board unanimously voted to put a mill and bond on the November ballot, and also approved a resolution supporting the statewide school funding initiative Amendment 73 at their meeting on Aug. 23. Board members voted after hearing Jeffco parents, teachers, principals and citizens talk for more than an hour about about how…
The nation has seen an increase in school violence, suicide, and mental health disorders, and Colorado is no exception. In Jeffco, there are a number of resources and services in place to support all Jeffco Schools students. Kevin Carroll, chief student success officer, works in tandem with John McDonald, executive director of Jeffco Schools Security &…
Keeping students and educators safe requires schools to be ready to prevent, intervene, and respond quickly to any given situation — a job that becomes increasingly complex when it involves 157 schools spread across 750 square miles. John McDonald, executive director of Jeffco Schools Security & Emergency Management, relies on a number of tools to…
