DENVER — School safety is the topic of discussion again at East High School in Denver after a student reportedly brought a gun into the building and a vestibule project was put on hold.
Denver7 reported on the incident on Thursday as the investigation unfolded. A gun was found in the student's backpack, according to a letter from the school principal.
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Heather Lamm, a Denver Public Schools (DPS) parent, spoke with Denver7 about her safety concerns for her kids in the wake of the incident. Her son is a 2023 graduate, and her daughter is slated to attend East High next school year.
"How this current case with a kid bringing a gun to school is handled will be somewhat of a determinant for our family in terms of whether or not we feel... enough has changed to make it a safe place," Lamm said.
When Denver7 spoke to Lamm, she laid out some keepsakes of her son's: his high school soccer jersey and a T-shirt calling for the end to gun violence.
He was a senior when a 17-year-old student shot two deans at the school. Both survived and the suspect was later found deceased.
Fast forward to last week — another student brought a gun to school. He was caught.
The Denver Police Department told Denver7 that the juvenile was arrested for investigation of possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a handgun by a juvenile, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of a firearm on school/childcare grounds.
"I think we need more controls at the beginning, and whether it's a vestibule project, whether it's metal detectors — I think there's a number of those things that can do it," Lamm said.
The vestibule project was put on hold at East High back in March.
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If built, it would have served as a vetting area to get into the school. However, Scott Pribble, DPS spokesperson, said the community had some reservations.
"We went through a meeting process last spring, and after that, we decided to put it on hold to allow us more time to consider and just listen to what the community has to say," Pribble said. "It's a historic building. Are we doing what the historical society wants to make sure it looks the way it's supposed to look? Is this something that the community wants? And so far, that's not what we've heard."
He adds that it wouldn't have prevented a student from bringing a gun into the school.
"It's not a metal detector," Pribble said. "Either the staff knows who they are, or they show their ID that shows that they're supposed to be there and they continue on."
So, parents like Lamm think a harsher line needs to be drawn.
"A kid brings a gun to school — (that) should be automatic expulsion, and that kid should not be allowed back into that same school or a general population school for the time being," Lamm said. "We have to be sending a signal to kids that there is no place for a gun in a school."
Denver7 took that concern to Pribble. He said they have policies in place.
"There are state and federal laws that we follow. It's an automatic expulsion hearing for any student that shows up on campus with a weapon, whether they are supposed to be at that school or not," he said. "They're automatically suspended for a minimum of five days to allow the expulsion hearing process to start. If more time is needed, they're not coming back to school before they've had their expulsion hearing. We'll extend the suspension."
What is the solution here? Pribble said it's a layered approach.
"The biggest solution that we're working on is telling a trusted adult when you suspect something. That's what happened in this case. We had someone who knew about the weapon, or suspected the weapon, and reported that to a trusted adult," Pribble said. "If there was something out there that was the one thing that we could put into our schools to keep everybody safe, I can promise you, Denver Public Schools would have that in place."
Whatever the answer is, Lamm said it's on the district to figure it out.
"We have been lucky. We have not been smart. We are living on borrowed time. And I think that responsibility and that blame lies squarely on this school board and on this administration," she said.
