April 1, 2021
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | SPORTS: PAGE 17
VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 19
DCSD approves first-ever equity policy Policy that aims to remove barriers for students has sparked controversy BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Although elementary schools have conducted full in-person learning since Jan. 5, secondary schools began the semester remotely before launching a hybrid model. Middle and high schools transitioned to full in-person learning March 22, the day after spring break. The last conversations Page can remember before spring break 2020, as districts throughout the metro area announced schools
The Douglas County School Board has adopted its first-ever equity policy. Directors passed the policy on March 23 after making minor adjustments from first reading, including the removal of a line calling meritocracy a myth, which had proven controversial among community members. “This is not a partisan issue,” Director Kevin Leung said. “This is how we can provide people what they need. Equity is about giving people what they need.” Board President David Ray noted the policy is not regulatory and will work in conjunction with other policies already in place concerning school cultures, nondiscrimination and equal access to education. The equity policy aims to ensure people have the resources they need in the system based on their identities, from their religion to their disability to their race, directors said. Despite unanimous board approval, the policy had stoked debate in the community in the days leading up to its adoption and during public comment at the virtual meeting.
SEE IN PERSON, P7
SEE EQUITY, P3
Numerous precautions are still in place as the Douglas County School District launches full, in-person learning, including masks, PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS quarantines for students when necessary and spacing desks three feet apart.
DCSD launches full in-person learning First time in one year that district conducts 100% in-person education BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With the buzz of a bell, students filled the halls of Highlands Ranch High School, hurrying from their first to second class period. It was a sight not seen in roughly one year
CONSIDERING GUN SAFETY
Advocate for stronger laws fields our questions P5
— a Douglas County high school with all of its students back in the same building at once. Earlier that morning Principal Chris Page stood at the school’s student entrance with a welcoming committee, cheering for his 1,668 high schoolers as they arrived for the Douglas County School District’s first day of 100% in-person learning since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. “It’s good to have the kids back,” he said. “I think they bring energy to a building.”
WILDLIFE IN THE CITY
How animals adapt in city snowstorms
P14