Essential education reporting across America

Gun Violence and Schools

Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero, left, speaks at a podium. Denver school board members, including Board President Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán in a red blazer, are standing to the right. The Denver Public Schools logo is visible behind them.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
Denver board splits on competing school policing proposals
Superintendent Alex Marrero had asked the board to make a decision before he finalizes a new school safety plan.
By Erica Meltzer
 
Police cars and ambulances are parked close together in front of Denver’s East High School.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
Denver Public Schools hires security chief after 6-month lapse
Greg Cazzell has worked 8 years as Aurora Public Schools security chief and 22 years on the Glendale police force.
By Erica Meltzer
 
Two police officers stand outside Denver’s East High School as students walk in the background.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
With safety plan in the works, Denver school board weighs competing police proposals
One proposal calls for training community resource officers who would respond only to emergencies and threats. Another would give Superintendent Alex Marrero discretion to station police inside schools.
By Erica Meltzer
 
A high school student lays a bouquet of flowers outside of Denver’s East High School.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools
Police on campus: Denver schools’ new draft safety plan asks the board to decide
Superintendent Alex Marrero previously suggested schools should decide on SROs. Now he wants the school board to set policy.
By Melanie Asmar and Erica Meltzer
 
a man in a blue jacket and red cap wipes his eye while talking at a microphone next to a woman in a white suit.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Chalkbeat En Español
Papá de Luis García: Si ese día hubiese habido policías en la East High, ‘quizás mi hijo estaría todavía con nosotros’
La familia está planeando una demanda por homicidio culposo contra las Escuelas Públicas de Denver.
By Melanie Asmar
 
a man in a blue jacket and red cap wipes his eye while talking at a microphone next to a woman in a white suit.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
Father of Luis Garcia: If police had been at East High, ‘maybe my son would still be here with us’
The family is planning a wrongful death lawsuit against Denver Public Schools.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A police car sits outside East High School in Denver.
From Chalkbeat Colorado School safety
Denver school board to discuss ban on police in schools Thursday amid pushback on proposed rollback
Some students and advocacy groups are speaking out against permanently reintroducing police in schools. “We want to be students, not prisoners,” one student said.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A bunch of officials in suits and emergency personnel in uniform stand around outside a school in Denver.
From Chalkbeat Colorado School safety
Denver Public Schools has been without a safety chief for 6 months amid rising gun violence and concerns
A district document cites several reasons why it’s been difficult to hire a new chief, including media coverage of the school board.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A man with a red cap stands in the middle of a group of people under sky with heavy clouds.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
Dean Wayne Mason says there were ‘red flags’ before East High shooting, but he forgives the shooter
“The regret I have right now is that he’s not here for me to tell him that,” Mason said of student Austin Lyle, who took his own life after shooting Mason and another dean.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A man greets children outside of their school
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Tennessee governor sets special legislative session for Aug. 21 after Nashville school shooting
“There is broad agreement that action is needed,” Lee said.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Police cars and ambulances are parked close together in front of Denver’s East High School.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools
Smaller class sizes, more mental health workers should be part of safety plan, Denver teachers union says
Only 42% of respondents to a Denver teachers union survey said police in schools would make them feel safe.
By Melanie Asmar
 
Three police officers stand in front of steps of East High School in Denver, Colorado, after a shooting there on March 22, 2023.
From Chalkbeat Colorado School safety
Each Denver school would make its own decisions about police under draft safety plan
Denver district would retrain all employees in safety procedures and will focus on mental health and equity, its draft safety plan proposes.
By Jason Gonzales and Melanie Asmar
 
Street view of a multistory building, the offices of Denver Public Schools.
From Chalkbeat Colorado School safety
Release recording of closed-door Denver school board meeting on policing, lawsuit demands
Colorado’s open meetings law declares that the “formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret.”
By Erica Meltzer
 
An overhead view of the NY Assembly room with red carpets and rows of yellow chairs
From Chalkbeat New York Gun Violence and Schools
Amid mental health concerns, new bill would allow NY students to opt out of lockdown drills
“If you enter the school system as a 3-year-old, and you exit as an 18-year-old, you will have done 60 lockdown drills,” one parent said. “This is not about making anyone less safe — this is about being smart about what is the best mediated solution.”
By Julian Shen-Berro
 
A man wearing a suit and standing in front of a desk speaks into a microphone in a legislative chamber.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Tennessee legislature dismisses gun bills in rush to adjourn, defying protests after school shooting
“They are shrugging their shoulders at us,” said one Nashville mom, “but we are not going to stop.”
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A group of people sit around tables that form a U. A screen at the front of the room shows a person’s face.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Politics & Policy
Many Denver voters have unfavorable view of school board, survey finds
Nearly 63% of respondents said board members care more about their own political ambitions than about improving educational outcomes for children.
By Erica Meltzer
 
A woman dressed in a red shirt holds up a sign calling for the Denver Public Schools board to resign while cars pass by.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
Protesters call for Denver board to resign, Marrero promises public input on safety plan
The Denver district plans to release a first draft of its safety plan May 1.
By Jason Gonzales
 
Students leave Denver’s East High School after a shooting there on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Meeting the Moment
Expulsions are low in Denver, and that’s how it should be, district officials say amid new scrutiny
“We are a welcoming environment,” a top Denver administrator said this week. “We really want students to be in their school environment.”
By Melanie Asmar
 
Four high school students stand in a line smiling at the camera.
From Chalkbeat Indiana Gun Violence and Schools
‘I need a plan.’ As NRA convention begins, Indianapolis teens share fears about gun violence
Students discussed their constant worries about gun violence and the disconnect they feel from those welcoming the NRA to town.
By Amelia Pak-Harvey and MJ Slaby
 
A green and yellow sign that says Great Mills High School. Near it is yellow police tape.
First Person First Person
I survived a school shooting. Here’s why you probably haven’t heard about it.
Everyone tells me to be thankful that the shooting at my high school didn’t claim more lives. That’s cold comfort.
By Mollie Davis
 
A man is turned mid-conversation with his right-side profile to the camera as many demonstrators look on in the distance.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Expelled Memphis lawmaker credits student activists as he wins reappointment to state House
For two high schoolers who joined protests against gun violence, ‘there’s just a lot more hope in the room.’
By Laura Testino
 
A man in a business suit speaks at a podium with the U.S. flag in the background.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Governor calls for Tennessee law to keep guns from ‘dangerous people’ after Nashville school shooting
Lee: ‘Really difficult circumstances can bring about really positive outcomes.’
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Auon’tai Anderson, wearing a blue suit with a red tie, shakes hands with a judge behind a podium after being sworn in.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools
Denver school board rejects effort to censure Auon’tai Anderson
‘Anything that’s happening amongst us ... shouldn’t even make the top 10. It shouldn’t matter at all. Because our babies don’t feel safe,’ Denver board member Michelle Quattlebaum said.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A group of people sit around tables that form a U. A screen at the front of the room shows a person’s face.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Politics & Policy
Denver school board president to move to censure vice president for comments in wake of East High shooting
Board President Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán has accused Vice President Auon’tai Anderson of disclosing information from a closed-door executive session. Anderson denies it.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A hand holds onto an in-focus sign that reads Justice For The Tennessee Three in uppercase black letters on a landscape white piece of copy paper.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Memphis lawmaker facing expulsion defends actions on behalf of student protesters
Justin Pearson says he was fulfilling his duty ‘to elevate the issues when they are being ignored.’
By Laura Testino
 
Closeup of man aiming a gun at a target
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Should teachers carry guns? Here’s what Tennesseans say as bill advances
“If more guns in more places made us safer, we’d be the safest state on the planet, and we’re not,” a Nashville dad and gun-control advocate said.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
People stand near a makeshift roadside memorial. One man holds a child.
Gun Violence and Schools Gun Violence and Schools
With more shootings and guns on campus, schools walk a fine line in response
Guns have been brandished or fired on school grounds more than 230 times this academic year. Can schools enhance security without turning campuses into fortresses?
By Patrick Wall
 
A group of men in business suits
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
With Nashville school shooting fresh, Tennessee Senate panel defers gun bills until 2024
Proposal to arm teachers is among delayed measures.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Addison Goetz, 17, is embraced by her mother Jennifer as they leave Denver’s East High School after a shooting there on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
Mental Health in Schools Mental Health in Schools
After a traumatic event, how can teachers best help students? Here’s a starting point.
If you are an educator or parent looking for information on how to talk to students following community trauma, we have resources for you.
By Chalkbeat Staff
 
A girl yells into a megaphone surrounded by students holding signs on the steps of a large building.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Gun Violence and Schools
Nashville students rally at Capitol for tougher gun laws
‘We can do something,’ Gov. Lee says: Put armed guards in every public school.
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
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