Denver Public Schools aren’t safe. The school board’s failure to act in their students’ best interests enables the chaos. Discipline has broken down inside schools, teachers are leaving and academic performance is suffering.

In 2020, the board unanimously terminated the district’s contract with Denver police and removed school resource officers (SROs). In 2021, the board implemented a disciplinary matrix that limited the circumstances whereby schools may contact police concerning disruptive student conduct. Both measures were championed by Tay Anderson, the board’s current vice president.

The board has explicitly discouraged meaningful discipline in schools and tied the hands of deans, principals and DPS safety. You can draw a straight line from lax disciplinary tools to increased behavioral problems and juvenile crime, especially violent crime and gun violence. Guns and other weapons have proliferated on school grounds. Relevant sources say the firearms are often stolen and may even have serial numbers scratched off. It’s all commensurate with a rise in teen gang activity.

Last week was a case-in-point. There were two shootings on Monday, Feb. 13. The first was near East High School; the 16-year-old victim remains in critical condition. Twenty minutes later, a student and an adult were each shot in an exchange outside the Emily Griffith campus, which includes DPS headquarters. Those shootings weren’t directly on school grounds, but they were right nearby.

A 9 mm pistol was confiscated two days later from a student on campus at East High. Reports indicate it was discovered due to increased security — including police temporarily stationed at the campus for a few days. What if the student who brought the gun hadn’t been caught and discharged the weapon?

Let’s be clear: Greater security was able to catch a gun in a student’s possession. Without law enforcement being there, things might have gone differently. With growing juvenile gang activity, this is not a small matter, as DPS safety and law enforcement officers will tell you.

Anderson is the foremost defender of the district’s failing SRO and disciplinary policies. In a lengthy online post and campaign email, he doubled down on his opposition to SROs, claiming they “may be doing more harm than good” and declaring them “not a panacea for preventing violence in our schools.”

Let’s be real: No one calls SROs a “panacea.” Having one on campus isn’t the sole solution. It’s a deterrent. If a young person sees a police officer, they will likely be less prone to commit a crime, especially violent and/or gun crimes. It can also provide a greater sense of safety and confidence for young people who may feel intimidation from their peers.

Experts will also tell you how pivotal on-site SROs are to understanding students when it comes to gangs, gathering intelligence and recognizing relevant relationships. SROs are part of the law enforcement system and able to access resources much better than DPS Safety can.

Anderson (who also goes by Auon’tai Anderson) claimed that removing SROs “has resulted in an 81% decline in ticketing and citations among students.” Except that actually has little to do with SROs.

The drop in tickets is largely because the discipline matrix excessively restricts when law enforcement can be called upon. School property destruction — at any taxpayer cost — or frequent marijuana use on campus? No referral allowed.

Let’s be honest: Kids know there’s little DPS Safety and the police can do to them if they’re caught — and they’re taking advantage of it. If a young person isn’t taught there are consequences to their actions, they’re liable to keep pushing the limits. Add possible witness intimidation into the mix, and it’s a recipe for real danger. In most cases, students or teachers will have to file a police report themselves — a tenuous situation for victims.

A memorandum of understanding between DPS and Denver Police would address some concerns about SROs — something Anderson already claims he’s helping to produce. Anderson himself understands the value of law enforcement. He often wears a bulletproof vest at schools or board meetings. He has security details assigned to him for public events. Why don’t DPS kids have that same luxury?

When it benefits him, Anderson calls on the police at the highest levels. Last fall, after he was pulled over for speeding outside Montbello High School, Anderson exercised his police privilege to get a personal call from Acting Chief Ron Thomas — so he could baselessly accuse the officer of racism.

Text messages obtained via open records requests show Anderson frequently checked in with former Chief Paul Pazen about protection for himself, even as he publicly bashed law enforcement.

“Hey, sorry to bother. I just found this on Google about searches on me, should I be concerned?” Anderson asked in one June 2020 text to Pazen, alongside a screenshot of troubling Google search terms. “We’ll look into it right away,” Pazen responded. Why don’t DPS kids have the same access to protection?

Anderson is officially running for reelection. Meanwhile, seven of the 13 candidates who attended last week’s 9News debate declined to raise their hands when asked if they support reinstating SROs in DPS. Among them was State Rep. Leslie Herod, one of Anderson’s mentors. With all the violence going on, what will it take to get these school board members and candidates to set politics aside and help keep Denver’s kids safe?

Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and host of “The Jimmy Sengenberger Show” Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on News/Talk 710 KNUS. Reach Jimmy online at JimmySengenberger.com or on Twitter @SengCenter.