"I think a lot of us were stunned to know what was happening in our schools," said Heather Lamm, whose son was a senior at East High last year. "I don't think any of us knew about the pat down policy before a year ago (Friday)."
Since last year the school district has changed its policy on searches. Staff no longer pat students down for weapons. That's now supposed to be handled by armed district patrol officers, according to this DPS report.
"At its core, it means we are still doing pat downs of kids that are in a general population who have had weapons violations or have reason to believe they are putting other kids at risk," Lamm said.
If the search is for vape pens or drugs, then a school administrator could conduct that search. School Resource Officers, unlike district patrol officers, can only conduct searches if it is part of an active criminal investigation.
Lynne Lee's son is a freshman at East High School. She feels a little better about her son's safety than she did at the beginning of the school year.
"That is a good step but we need to understand the consequences of the actions DPS is going to take once a weapon is found," she said.
She wants to see changes in how kids are disciplined if they do bring a weapon to school.
For more on this story, and others, visit The Denver Gazette's news partners.
Denver’s East High School will be closed Friday to let students and staff reflect on a shooting at the school one year ago.
The shooting injured two East administrators, and set into motion student walkouts and the return of armed police officers in the district’s comprehensive high schools.
“The students and staff have told school and district leadership that they would like to have a day of quiet reflection,” Denver Public Schools said in a news release. “DPS will honor their wishes. We will remain silent out of respect to the East community. As friends, peers, and educators of everyone involved, this is a very difficult time for all of us.”
The release stated that East High School will provide a safe space for students and staff to meet with mental health providers inside the building with support from the district on Friday.
The suspect in the shooting was identified as Austin Lyle, a 17-year-old student at the school. After Denver police said Lyle had initially fled the scene, authorities in Jefferson County later found Lyle’s body on the night of the shooting in a "secluded area" not far from his abandoned vehicle.
The Denver Gazette interviewed Lyle’s classmates last March and found different narratives: One of an apparently troubled kid, expelled from another high school and on probation for a gun charge. A second of a sweet, dedicated student with an apparent dark side few knew of.
In the wake of the shooting, frustrated East High parents called for action from the school board, including a detailed safety plan.
Shortly after, Denver police announced that two armed school resource officers would be present at East High, the largest school in DPS with 2,500 students. Another 12 high school campuses would have one officer each, adding up to a total of 14 SROs, according to the police department.
the school board had unanimously voted to sever ties with Denver police following the public outcry and nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The two deans shot by a student at East High School last year have taken the first step in filing a lawsuit against Denver Public Schools.
Deans Eric Sinclair and Jerald "Wayne" Mason were shot multiple times when Lyle fired a gun as he was being searched for weapons on March 22, 2023. Lyle was required to be patted down for weapons as part of his safety plan.
Documents obtained by The Denver Gazette's news partners 9NEWS show Sinclair and Mason each filed a notice of claim in September 2023. State law requires a notice of claim before a lawsuit is filed against a public entity.
Sinclair was patting Lyle down for weapons before Lyle shot him and Mason. The deans are calling the school district negligent for the decisions made before the shooting
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