EVERGREEN, Colo. — Students and staff at Evergreen High School will likely return to class next week, less than two weeks after a shooting on campus rocked the community.
In downtown Evergreen, a coalition of downtown business owners came together to place flags carrying messages of hope in planters.
“They’re just hopefully able to walk along and just see all of the notes,” said Sweetwater Boutique owner, Chelsea Treinen.
“There's no playbook for something like this, right? And we're all just trying to figure out how to move forward together as a community,” added Java Groove owner, Eric Martinez.
Part of moving forward means returning to school.
“I’m excited," sophomore Jaxson McFarland told Denver7. "It’ll be, I just kind of want everything to go back to normal."
There will be a full-time school resource officer (SRO) at Evergreen HS when students and staff return. There will also be a full-time Jeffco Public Schools safety and security officer, dedicated patrol coverage in the Evergreen area, and additional administrative support for the EHS administrative team.
“It’ll make the transition back into school a lot easier,” said McFarland.
Education
Jeffco Public Schools, sheriff's office address SRO staffing in wake of shooting
Parents and community members have pushed for answers about school resource officer (SRO) staffing within the district after it was revealed that Evergreen High School only had a part-time SRO at the time of the shooting.
According to JCSO, the school had a full-time SRO, but they were on medical leave at the time of the shooting. To fill in the gap, Evergreen High had been utilizing part-time SROs.
Concerns about the lack of a full-time SRO on campus were raised twice prior to the shooting during PTA meetings on Sept. 9 and the morning of Sept. 10, hours before a 16-year-old boy opened fire at the school, injuring two of his classmates. The shooter sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died of his injuries that same day.
On Monday, the sheriff's office announced Evergreen High School will have a full-time SRO “going forward.”
Parents and community members are pushing for more safety additions. One petition calls for the installation of metal detectors on campus.
A survey was sent to all students, asking them about how they would like to return to school. School officials said the goal is to release a video message from the principal outlining the plan to return to school by Sunday.
Sophomore Aiden Gorman told Dever7 he wants to see more SROs on campus.
“That might be a little safer, because if something happened again, where if it was at one side of school and the officers at another side, then [the same thing] could happen,” he said.
The community is hopeful that their voices will be heard by school leadership.
“I think things like that need to be discussed and moved forward, because it’s our job to protect our kids,” said Martinez.
“I think this is just that reminder of, like, we just want to keep the kiddos safe,” added Treinen.
It’s yet another step on the road to recovery.
“I’m excited to see all my friends and stuff and just know they’re okay and that we’re not alone in what we’re feeling,” said McFarland.
