AURORA, Colo. — Tuesday is the first full day for students and teachers back in the "Justice Engaged" building after a fire caused damage that took out tons of school supplies. For weeks, the fire displaced this group, which serves young people who have had some sort of run in with the law and struggled for one reason or another to get back into school.
Denver7 was there on Monday as the community sifted through ruined school supplies, moved ping pong tales and kitchen items and picked back up school work together.
"We have... found some places to do some school in Aurora, but we're really happy to be back in the building today," CEO of Generation Schools Network Wendy Loloff Cooper told Denver7. "We’ve had to have a couple of remote days. I mean, the day that we found out about fire was remote day. [Monday] is a remote day to move back in. And I think you're right in the sense that you know, staying consistent and stable is a very important factor for these students' lives."
The students have ongoing litigation, and some are court ordered to be there. Others couldn't find a school they could catch up in, or the schools wouldn't accept students with their arrest record, according to Cooper.
"One of the things that's unique about the school is that we really work with all the people that surround the student. So I would say the average student comes in attached to like five or six different folks that could be probation, pre-trial attorneys, social workers, that kind of thing," Cooper said. "And they also find their students here, so we really welcome them into the space. So it was, it was challenging then to have the students find where we were relocated, at the MLK Library, the Aurora community connection, have them find the space, and then have all the people that support them find the space as well."
Students like Isaiah Sidranksy helped staff move back into their building on Monday.
"She supports the community a lot. I can't lie, she does," Sidranksy said about Cooper.
The 17-year-old dropped out of school in ninth grade. He has an ongoing case now.
"I was a smart kid. I just surrounded myself with the wrong people." Sidranksy said. "It's a great program, I can’t lie. It’s a very good program? Wendy helps me a lot. She got me to my college classes, you know."
He's now working toward his high school diploma, while also taking college classes through Arizona State University.
This building is critical for him. He lives in Aurora, but he's on house arrest and can't go far.
"It was lowkey, pretty hard because the area that they was running out and stuff, I'm not allowed to be over there," Sidranksy said.
Cooper said national data shows about 25% of students that become "justice engaged" actually earn a diploma. If a student has been in jail for 30 days or more, Cooper said it drops to about 8%.
Aurora Fire Rescue didn't give details on the fire, but told Denver7 it's still under investigation.
