Serving Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and beyond
WEEK OF OCTOBER 31, 2024
VOLUME 41 | ISSUE 13
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Jeffco Schools celebrates year-round safety commitment during National School Safety Week
Are unchecked opinions in Colorado’s local TABOR books misleading voters? BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
of safety in our schools,” Pierson said. A big part of that culture means that students have a trusted adult in the school they can go to with concerns if they’ve seen or heard something concerning. While the Safe2Tell platform is a valuable tool for anonymous reporting, Pierson emphasized the importance of face-to-face communication as a quicker and often more effective method of preventing incidents from escalating. He also said that when students feel welcomed and know they are part of something, it helps to break down stereotypes in those kids who are often outliers. “Our mantra is that we know our students by name, strength and need,” Pierson explained.
As voters sit down to fill out their ballots, they often refer to their local TABOR book, commonly known as the “gray book,” for more information about local ballot initiatives. Whether it’s a school bond measure, like in Douglas and Arapahoe counties, or an elimination of a TABOR limit in Jefferson County, the gray book provides voters with information to decide whether to vote for or against a proposal. However, many may not realize that the public comments included in these guides are not fact-checked, according to the Colorado Legislative Council’s TABOR Blue Book guidelines. These guidelines note that arguments for and against ballot measures are submitted by proponents and opponents and are not verified for accuracy. According to reporting by Colorado Community Media two years ago, misinformation in Douglas County’s booklet regarding the school district had its administrators up in arms. The district’s Superintendent, Erin Kane, spoke out against comments opposing the district’s mill levy override and bond measures, calling them “untrue” and “misrepresentative.” This year, a statement opposing proposition 1A in Jefferson County claims a “yes” vote would eliminate the property tax cap from TABOR. However, a “yes” vote would allow the county to keep its share of property tax funds “without increasing any tax rate or mill levy rate,” according to the ballot language. The mill levy rate, which varies by county, determines the amount taxpayers owe in property taxes. According to state law, any registered voter within a local jurisdiction can submit comments for or against a ballot issue. However, the government entity is not responsible for fact-checking or verifying the accuracy of the submitted comments. Local guidebooks explicitly state that comments aren’t verified, but readers may skip over this information as they flip to the issues.
SEE SAFETY, P2
SEE VOTERS, P2
WESTMINSTER
Annual Campus Security team training. BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As National School Safety Week gets going, the Jefferson County school district is taking the opportunity to highlight its year-round commitment to keeping students safe, including enhanced partnerships with law enforcement, building a culture of safety and developing programs to foster a sense of belonging. This year, from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25, the district plans to recognize its School Resource Officers, build awareness of safety upgrades in its schools funded by the 2018 Capital Improvement Program, educate families on what to do in an emergency, discuss Safe2Tell reporting and highlight a day in the life of a campus security officer.
MINSTER
WINDOW COURTESY OF JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
“Safety is more than a weeklong initiative — it’s a daily practice in Jefferson County,” said Jeff Pierson, executive director of school safety at Jeffco Public Schools. “We want to make sure that our community knows that safety is a priority, so we’re going to elevate our partnerships with our SRO community and all of our law enforcement agencies.”
WINDOW Building a culture of belonging
Beyond physical safety, Jefferson County is investing heavily in building a school culture that emphasizes mental and emotional well-being. “What we’ve really honed in on over the last two years has been the prevention or the mitigation of potential threats, and a lot of that has to do with building a culture
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 12 | CALENDAR: 15 | SPORTS: 17
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