DENVER – Extra police officers will be on hand at Denver Public Schools for the rest of the school year, which ends next Friday, in the wake of the shooting in Texas that left 19 students and two teachers dead on Tuesday.
“At Denver Public Schools, the safety of our students is of the utmost importance. Our school teams already have safety policies, plans and procedures in place,” DPS spokesperson Scott Pribble said in a statement. “Over the next two weeks, our Department of Safety and Denver police will have an increased uniformed presence in and around our schools. We also have mental health professionals who are available as needed.”
June 3 is the final day of school for DPS. It is a half day, and Monday will be a holiday for Memorial Day.
An 18-year-old gunman is accused of shooting his grandmother at their home Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas, then driving to Robb Elementary School, where he shot and killed the 19 students and two teachers before being killed himself.
Boulder Valley School District Superintendent Rob Anderson also sent out a message to district families offering support and saying the district has “a layered system of security and a strong partnership with our local law enforcement.”
“While I do not hold the answers, we all should be able to go to school or the supermarket without fear and the answer should not be more and more defensive layers,” Anderson wrote.
The district increased security at schools after local law enforcement investigated a possible threat at Casey Middle School in Boulder.
