DENVER — Never before seen video of the Denver Public Schools board in executive session offers insight into the decision to reinstate armed officers in high schools after a shooting at East High School this past spring.
On March 22, an East High school student shot two faculty members inside the school. He later died by suicide. The next day, the school board called an emergency meeting.
The school board went behind closed doors for hours in an executive session, and then voted unanimously to reinstate school resource officers for the rest of the school year.
That video shows tense and candid moments between board members and Superintendent Alex Marrero.
"We have unarmed people who are patting down students that are probably armed, were armed, and shot them," board member Charmaine Lindsey is heard saying in the meeting. "What are they supposed to do if they find somebody with a gun."
After the shooting, and before the meeting, Superintendent Marrero issued a statement about bringing armed officers back to high schools.
"Our hands have been tied," board Vice President Auon'tai Anderson said in the executive session.
In 2020, Anderson helped craft the resolution to take school resource officers out of Denver Public Schools. He said the board was blindsided by Marrero.
"Your words put us in danger because you made the community look at us and act like we weren't responsive to them," said Anderson. "We didn't even have a chance and say, hey this is the board action, because you issued a statement."
Anderson goes on to say that Marrero made himself the "hero."
Marrero said he was "not concerned about being the hero because 50% of the people will hate me as they are now because I have a life well beyond Denver Public Schools, I realize that."
As Anderson had previously told reporters, Superintendent Marrero told the board that then-Mayor Michael Hancock would force their hand by threatening to bring back cops with an executive order.
"I understand that this is a very problematic conversation to have, but it’s going to happen. It’s beyond our control," he said. "I would hope that it’s going to be our decision. But we are going to be tied to an executive order. At least that’s what he told me yesterday evening."
The former mayor had denied he told Superintendent Marrero that he'd take that action.
"I never, not one time, had a conversation with anyone where I uttered the words or suggested or threatened to issue an executive order," Hancock said on the Mandy Connell KOA radio show in mid-April.
9NEWS requested a copy of the recording of what was said behind closed doors. DPS refused. 9NEWS and other outlets sued. A District Court judge ruled against DPS and ordered the district to release the tape.
After fighting for months, the board unanimously voted to release the tape on Friday. The full video was sent Saturday morning.
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