Douglas County Commissioners Vote to Redirect $10 Million for Public School Safety Following STEM School Shooting

Douglas County Commissioners Vote to Redirect $10 Million for Public School Safety Following STEM School Shooting

Following last week’s shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch, which left one student dead and eight injured, the Board of Douglas County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to redirect $10 million toward public school safety and potentially more mental health services.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • May 15, 2019

Following last week’s shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch, which left one student dead and eight injured, the Board of Douglas County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to redirect $10 million toward public school safety and potentially more mental health services.

The $10 million would come from the county’s general fund and reserves. The funds will be used for increased school security and mental health resources for students in the Douglas County School District.

“I am very pleased that we have the school board here, I have been working closely with Superintendent [Thomas] Tucker to start working with him on how we would make Douglas County Schools safe and do it together,” Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said.

According to Spurlock, it’s recommended that there is one school resource officer per 1,000 students, but there is currently one SRO covering more than 3,000 students between two campuses in Highland Ranch. He said it is time to take a closer look at the size of the district and what it needs to do in terms of safety.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners will meet again on May 28 to discuss how the $10 million will be spent.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • 2025 Secure Campus Award Winners Announced

    Campus Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 Secure Campus Award winners. Twenty companies are being recognized this year for products that help keep education and business campuses safe. Read Now

  • K-12 School Safety Trends Report Shows Training, Technology Are Saving Lives

    CENTEGIX, the industry leader and most widely adopted wearable safety technology provider for K-12 education, today released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, the only comprehensive and data-rich analysis of school safety available in the wearable panic button market. The report identifies and outlines the top tech and legislative movements relevant to school safety in the U.S. and draws on data collected in the 2024/2025 school year through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, including more than 265,000 incidents of CrisisAlert use. Read Now

  • Survey: Fewer Than 20 Percent of School Leaders Consider Their Main Entrance “Completely Secure”

    Singlewire Software, provider of solutions that help keep people safe and informed, releases the findings of its inaugural School Entrance Security Report, which captured responses from more than 500 school staff members across the United States. This research highlights the concerns and challenges schools are facing in securing their entrances and keeping students and staff safe from potential threats Read Now

  • Securing Higher Education: Combating Enrollment Fraud and Empowering Student Financial Success

    Higher education institutions are facing a costly and growing crisis: enrollment fraud. Between 2020 and 2022, the cost[1] of acquiring a new student surged by up to 32%, straining already tight budgets. At the same time, “ghost students” using stolen identities to enroll fraudulently put institutions at even greater financial risk. Read Now

Most   Popular