In a video clip of the February 14th School Board meeting, DPS Superintendent Dr. Rochelle Clark said she had received a "very concerning" email from one of the staff.
Read the full email (pdf download)
Clark said the district needs help from parents and community members to address fighting and disruptions at school.
She said "We don't want to suspend your children, but we will if that means keeping our buildings safe."
Highlights
These are quotes from the Staff's email.
"I have heard many staff members express the fact that we are feeling like a deserted island, and no one is hearing our pleas."
"When listening to Jared in our monthly union meeting, it is evident that he is trying to advocate for our building with you and other central administration, but it seems he isn’t always kept in the loop."
"As I shared, over 40% of our staff are considering not returning to SDMS next year if drastic measures to ensure safety isn’t taken."
"Almost 90% of staff members have been approached by students expressing a concern about their safety at school."
"Of the first respondents [to a survey], over 50% of the certified staff that had responded at that time had indicated that they were considering not returning."
"Almost 90% of responding staff felt that student safety was at a 2 or below on a 5 point scale."
Dr. Clark's Response includes
"Respectfully, all request and/or concerns should go through Mr. Lamb as he is the appropriate building administrator. This includes meeting with his staff. If issues are not resolved at the building level and after going through the proper chain of command, I encourage you to reach out to your DEA leadership as we work hard to keep a structure in place we both follow."
"Discussions have included removing students, alternate passing periods, adding metal detectors, and adding a lead security."