Herald HIGHLANDS RANCH 2.21.13
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 14
February 21, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Union suing school district
Legal claims focus on hiring, sick-leave bank By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
Attendees of the Highlands Ranch Library sensory-enhanced storytime enjoy a tale on Feb. 14. Patrice Scheck, pictured at left with her sons Simon, 4, and Christopher, 15, said the storytime has been a valuable resource. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen
Storytime can work wonders Library program benefits differently-abled children By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com The thought of squeezing parachutes, bubbles, songs, stories and a slew of surprises into 20-30 minutes twice a week may seem like a challenge but it is one Douglas County youth librarians have been pulling off consistently since September. The sensory-enhanced storytimes, held twice every Thursday at the Highlands Ranch Library, are specialized for children with autism and other sensory-processing disorders. Each session is filled with handson learning activities, starts and ends with song and features a friendly caterpillar that provides a visual list of daily events. “Our objective with the (exercises) is to
provide them with sensory input that tends to calm down your nervous system and help you focus on what is happening in the moment,” said Youth Librarian Laura Baldassari-Hackstaff, who runs one of the two storytimes each week. “Children on the autism spectrum will do that for themselves with the rocking and the twirling, etc. … so this is a different way for them to focus.” All children are required to be accompanied by a parent. There is a lead storyteller at and at least two library volunteers present who join in on the fun, assist the storyteller and supervise. “There have not been any negatives,” said Patrice Scheck, whose sons Simon, 4, and Christopher, 15, both have Prader-Willi Syndrome and attend the storytime regularly. “It’s really a valuable resource for people like us that the kids can come and they
House passes gun bills Without a single Republican vote, measures move to Senate By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Four major pieces of a Democraticsponsored gun control package passed the state House of Representatives on Feb. 18, following furious legislative action from the week before that included hours-long committee hearings and a passionate floor debate that went deep into the night. Bills that seek to limit high-capacity ammunition magazines, ban concealed weapons from being brought to college campuses, as well as two others dealing with gun
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background checks, now move on to the Senate. Not a single Republican supported any of the bills. Meanwhile, Democrats did not vote in unanimity, with at least one — and, in one case four — Democrats voting against each one of the bills. About five hours was spent Report debating the bills on Feb. 18. But that was nothing compared to the marathon-like House session from three days prior, where members spent about 12 hours debating gun measures on the House floor, before members voted for preliminary passage of the bills. Republicans charged over those two days of floor debate that Democratic guncontrol efforts infringe on the rights of lawabiding citizens, and that criminals, and
don’t have to try and fit in,” she said. “No one minds their little issues or idiosyncrasies, it’s very welcoming and we can just relax and be ourselves.” The “being themselves” aspect is a huge factor for those who attend, said Baldassari-Hackstaff. “This is very much about these children and young adults and their families being able to come here and know that the doors are closed and they can enjoy the storytime. That’s the most important part to us.” Many parents of differently-abled children are afraid to take their child to a traditional storytime, she said, as they are concerned about being disruptive and that other people don’t always understand what their child is going through. “Here they are totally free to be who they are and there is no wrong answer,” she said. “We have something in each storytime for each child who is attending.”
The Douglas County Federation of Teachers filed two lawsuits Feb. 15 against the Douglas County School District on claims related to teacher hiring and the teachers’ sick-leave bank. School board President John Carson, in a statement issued by the school district, called the lawsuits frivolous. A news release from the teachers’ union says the school district “illegally refused to consider teachers for job openings after their positions had been eliminated,” and asked the district to reimburse teachers for sick-leave days donated to a sick-leave bank that the district reportedly terminated. The district’s longstanding collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union, under which such issues were outlined, expired in 2012 after more than 100 hours of fruitless negotiation. “This is about treating teachers fairly and professionally and acting within the law,” union President Brenda Smith said. “The school district is set on demonizing teachers, disregarding the importance of experience, and `nickel and diming’ them instead of focusing on our children succeeding in the classroom.” As evidence of its support for teachers, DCSD pointed in its release to a 3 percent raise it gave them in 2012. “This is a union that has tried to flood the community with misinformation and political spin in an effort to tear down the excellent reputation of our schools and our teachers,” Carson said in the release. Smith said teachers laid off during several years of budget cuts were supposed to be put into a hiring pool and given priority consideration when suitable positions opened within the district. Though Smith said the teachers were not laid off for perUnion continues on Page 9
500 AND COUNTING
Capitol
Guns continues on Page 14
Highlands Ranch head coach Caryn Jarocki celebrates her 500th win with her team Feb. 15. Jarocki has been coaching girls basketball for 28 seasons in Colorado and has the most victories of any girls basketball coach in the state. For more coverage, turn to Page 26. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen