April 10, 2015 VOLU M E 1 4 | I S SUE 20
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EGGS SCRAMBLED FOR PRIZES
Board OKs releasing of records Parents of slain Arapahoe High student agree not to sue, will make all findings public By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Ella LaPorte, 6, of Lone Tree looks as lovely as spring as she gathers eggs at the 5th Annual Great Egg Scramble, held at the South Suburban Sports Dome in Centennial. Broken into age groups, egg hunters raced to collect as many empty eggs as possible, for which they could exchange for candy, gifts and other prizes. Local eggsperts arrived with baskets, bags and boxes — even Halloween pumpkins — all eggcited for one of the city’s biggest youth eggspeditions, the Annual Great Egg Scramble on April 4. Hosted by South Suburban Parks and Recreation, and sponsored by the City of Centennial, the yearly indoor egg hunt at the Sports Dome attracts more than 850 kids, all vying for 2,000 empty plastic eggs, which could be exchanged for candy, gifts and prizes. Top prizes included gift certificates from local merchants and authentic Colorado Avalanche gear. Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon was on hand, as well as the Easter Bunny, a local radio station mascot and the South Suburban Fitness Van. Now in its fifth year, the Great Egg Scramble has become a local — and weatherproof — favorite.
PHOTOS BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY
Ava McFarland, 2, right, along with her mom, Sonya, and her older sister Sydney, 4, join the Easter Bunny and the Jammin’ 101.5 mascot strike a pose for the camera at the 5th Annual Great Egg Scramble.
Pretty in pink, Norah Shumway, 3, of Columbus, Ohio, holds tight to her father’s hand as they race across the field at the South Suburban Sports Dome in Centennial. Shumway was one of more than 850 participants in annual indoor egg hunt.
The Littleton Public Schools Board of Education has unanimously voted to give Claire Davis’ family all the information it can about the circumstances surrounding the death of the Arapahoe High School student. “This will be the next of many steps already taken in the last 15 months to examine and improve processes and procedures,” said Jack Reutzel, board president. “We have already implemented changes in the district as a result of the tragedy, and we continue to want to learn how the district can make meaningful and thoughtful improvements for the benefit of all students.” While the Davis family was not in attendance at the April 2 board meeting, they offered a quote for the official LPS statement. “We’ve developed a process that meets our shared goal of making schools safer,” said Michael Davis, Claire’s father. “We very Claire Davis much appreciate LPS’ willingness to partner with us.” In a separate statement issued through their spokesperson, Katy Atkinson, the family reiterated support for two bills pending in the state Legislature that could soon be heard on the floor. The first provides a narrow definition of the circumstances in which a suit can be brought against a school for breaching its responsibility to keep students safe, and sets a cap on the damages that can be recovered. The second would create a permanent committee on school safety and mental health and charge it with examining ways to improve how schools and the mental-health system deal with troubled youths. “Without the full picture, no one can adequately address the underlying problems that could lead to yet another tragedy like this,” reads the family’s statement. As part of the agreement, the Davises agree not to sue the district and waive their
Davis continues on Page 9
Online school bows out after leading way Jones International University, based in Centennial, has been hit with declining enrollment By Chris Rotar
crotar@coloradocommunitymedia.com Gwen Lane had just put the exclamation mark on her master’s degree when she got the news early last week. “I finished my last class (March 28), and I was like ‘oh my gosh, don’t tell me the last two years were for nothing,’” she said in a phone interview from her home in Chesapeake, Virginia. Lane learned her school would soon be closing. Centennial-based Jones International University is winding down operations, a decision
communicated to its roughly 2,000 students March 31. The process is expected to be finished in early 2016. The online, for-profit school that offers degrees in business and education has seen an enrollment decline of more than 55 percent since 2011, a spokeswoman said. The move could mean 90 or more lost jobs at the Jones International Ltd. headquarters near Interstate 25 and Dry Creek Road. “During the past year, JIU’s Board of Trustees and leadership have closely examined our business and operations and have explored every opportunity to continue to effectively support our students by delivering the highest-quality online education,” Bryan Wallace, the school’s chief operating officer, said in an emailed statement. “However, due to market pressures and operational considerations, we have come to the difficult decision that it is
time to close Jones International University.” JIU was founded in 1993 — staking claim to being the first university to exist fully online — by cable magnate Glenn R. Jones. It launched its first courses in 1995 and continued to add programs through the years. It received regional accreditation in 1999. Students are increasingly embracing online learning, and the number of institutions offering it, including public schools, has been climbing since the early 2000s. A study released in 2013 by the Babson Survey Research Group found the number of college and university students taking at least one online course grew from 1.6 million in 2002 to 6.7 million in 2011. So while JIU was a pioneer in online education, it has been confronted in recent years with stiff competition. Jones continues on Page 9
Glenn R. Jones, founder of Jones International University, talks about plans for a 42-acre, mixed-use development in Centennial during an October press conference. On March 31, officials announced the school would be closing by early 2016. File photo