Colorado STEM School Receives Five-Year Contract Renewal

Colorado STEM School Receives Five-Year Contract Renewal

STEM School Highlands Ranch received a conditional five-year renewal of its charter on Saturday. The board can shorten the contract to three years if the school fails to meet certain conditions.

  • By Kaitlyn DeHaven
  • July 02, 2019

STEM School Highlands Ranch, a Colorado school where a shooting occurred on May 7, received a conditional five-year renewal of its charter on Saturday. The school has almost 1,600 K-12 students, and teaches them science and technology through creative approaches.

This charter will require the school to meet certain reporting, staffing, and safety requirements, such as the hiring of additional security personnel. The contract was approved by the Douglas County Board of Education and STEM School Highlands Ranch officials. The vote was unanimous.

“My consideration is how to make sure that the STEM students (are) safe),” board member Kevin Leung said.

The contract calls for a five-year charter renewal, but the board can shorten it to three years if the school fails to meet certain conditions including teach and mental health employee numbers that meet district staff-to-student ratios, transparency requirements for meetings and financial policies, and up-to-date training of administration and mental health professionals.

The school must also contract with local law-enforcement agencies for a school resource officer who will be assigned to the high school program, in addition to a private security officer for the middle school and elementary school programs.

There will also be staff training in threat and safety assessments and a requirement for the school to review safety assessment data each semester, according to 13 WTHR.

In terms of transparency, the district must notify the school about any complaints the district receives, and STEM must promptly investigate the complaint.

The board can revoke the contract at any time if the terms are broken.

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Electrified Latch Retraction Locks Key Benefits for Retrofits

    Building owners and facility managers increasingly rely on electrified hardware to enhance security while meeting accessibility standards. Among these technologies, electrified or motorized latch retraction locks are especially effective for retrofit projects where existing door and frame conditions complicate upgrades. Latch retraction capable locks combine security, accessibility and code compliance benefits, making them ideal for retrofitting fire-rated and non-rated openings in schools, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings and more. Read Now

  • How Cloud Security Solutions Are Transforming Campus Safety

    Campus administrators today face a challenging mandate: deliver stronger security across their facilities while working within tighter budget constraints. From school districts focused on student safety to hospitals protecting patients and staff, the question remains the same: how do you build security infrastructure that evolves with your needs without requiring massive capital investments? Read Now

  • Rethinking Campus Security From the Inside

    For decades, campus security strategies focused on keeping threats outside school walls. But since the tragedy at Columbine High School, data has shown that many attacks begin inside the building, often in classrooms and corridors. This shift has prompted schools to rethink security from the inside and place greater emphasis on interior elements such as classroom doors. This shift is evidenced by a new generation of classroom door systems engineered to delay inside intruders and an ASTM standard that raises the bar on how these systems must be designed to defend against attack. Read Now

  • AI in Security: Advancing Campus Safety and Considerations for Implementing

    Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to capture attention across every sector, and the physical security industry is no exception. Once seen as experimental, AI-enabled analytics now underpin how organizations monitor environments, detect threats, and make decisions. What was once futuristic is now a practical necessity for safety professionals managing growing volumes of data, tighter resources, and increasing expectations for faster, more accurate responses. Read Now

Most   Popular