Colorado is racing to save the schools that serve children whose home districts can’t or won’t meet their intense needs

Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat
Melanie Asmar has covered Denver Public Schools for Chalkbeat Colorado since 2015. Asmar previously worked at Westword newspaper in Denver and for a daily newspaper in New Hampshire, where she covered education.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering schools and education. The news organization believes education is a local issue, and roots its coverage in local communities. Chalkbeat reports from and about eight locations: Colorado, Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, Newark, New York, Philadelphia and Tennessee.
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Expulsions are low in Denver. District officials say that’s how it should be.
Last month’s shooting of two East High School deans by a student who was being searched for weapons has placed renewed scrutiny on discipline in Colorado’s largest school district
Amid rising gun violence, 13 Denver campuses will have school resource offices after spring break
When classes resume Tuesday, two SROs will be at East High, the district’s largest school with 2,500 students
Denver failed to provide speech therapy to more than 1,000 young students, state decision says
State hearing officer found 28 Denver elementary schools were not staffed with speech language pathologists sometime between January 2022 and now. Some schools went without for as long as a semester.
American Indian Academy of Denver charter school to close at the end of the school year
American Indian Academy of Denver is the 14th charter school to close in four years as enrollment in Denver Public Schools declines
Guns in schools are up, and Denver superintendent says violence is his top concern
Last school year, five times as many weapons — 200 total — were found at Denver schools, including 13 guns and 28 fake guns
It’s school choice season in Colorado, but applying for universal preschool comes a bit later
Colorado early childhood leaders have been working for months to build the new program, including a statewide application system that will match children with participating preschool providers their parents choose.
“We are staying”: Students at American Indian Academy of Denver speak up for their school
Native American students told stories of being bullied in their previous schools but not at AIAD
Denver Public Schools relinquishes “Know Justice, Know Peace” podcast trademark, asks lawsuit be dismissed
In a statement Monday, the district said its trademark attempt was an effort to ensure the podcast could continue in Denver Public Schools.
School closures: How Denver, Jefferson County and Aurora are approaching the decision
The Aurora district has already closed eight schools over the last two years, with some still being phased out