September 25, 2014 VOLU M E 1 0 | I S SUE 1 7
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EDUCATION ISSUES SPARK PROTESTS
Students protest over ‘censorship’ Jeffco schools disruptions enter second day By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com
Hannah Furlong, a senior in the international baccalaureate program at Standley Lake High School, holds a placard that reads “You don’t have to burn books to destroy culture. You just have to stop teaching them.” Furlong said she joined the students along Wadsworth Boulevard saying “there are many reasons and one is just to support education and make sure the decisions do not hurt our education.” She was among about 70 students in front of the school at 104th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard late afternoon on Friday. The school was closed due to a “sick out” by 32 teachers. Photos by Mikkel Kelly
Superintendent addresses ‘sick out’ By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com Jeffco Superintendent Dan McMinimee said he wants to focus on understanding rather than consequences for the actions of district teachers who staged a “sick-out” protest, Friday, Sept. 19. “We need to focus less about punishment and more around understanding, picking up the pieces and moving forward,” he said during a press conference Friday. During the conference, McMinimee answered questions regarding Friday’s protest by 50 teachers calling in sick at Standley Lake and Conifer high schools. He outlined the process the district went through since first hearing about the protest last Monday, talked about the decision made with two schools’ principals to close the schools and the plan moving forward. “We felt that we wanted to make sure student safety and security, in addition to their quality educational opportunity was provided,” he said. “We made a decision last night in terms of one school and this morning in the case of another, working with our achievement directors and our principals, and we didn’t feel we
More than 70 Evergreen High School students stood outside of the Jefferson County Education Center, 1829 Denver West Drive, Golden, in protest of a “censorship” in the classroom, Monday, Sept. 22. The protest stems from a resolution, authored by Board Member, Julie Williams, seeking to form a curriculum committee which would oversee all instructional material in the district’s AP U.S. History courses. The resolution states material taught should reflect positive, factual information which would “promote citizenship” and “patriotism,” while not promoting “civil disorder” or “disregard for the law.” During the Friday protests, student leadership met with Jeffco’s superintendent, Dan McMinimee, who wanted to hear about their concerns. “There are other opportunities where students don’t have to leave school,” he Protest continues on Page 5
Seniors Jamey Burky, who helped lead the cheer “Stand up, Jeffco!” and Brandon Roby, right, joined students in front of Standley Lake High School. Burky said he wanted to show support for teachers involved in the “sick out.” could provide that environment for our students today so we canceled two of our 155 schools.” The 50 teachers, 32 from Standley Lake and 18 from Conifer, took either a personal or sick day.
Some students at Standley Lake High School used their day off to wave signs of protest against the current district board Sick continues on Page 5
Jeffco Superintendent, Dan McMinimee, spoke about understanding teachers’ actions during a press conference, Friday, Sept. 19. Photo by Crystal Anderson
Three Arvada high schools walk out to show views By Crystal Anderson and Clarke Reader
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com creader@colorado communitymedia.com Students across Jeffco are walking out of class — for a cause. Across Jefferson County, students are organizing “walk outs” in protest against a resolution which would limit items in the AP U.S. History curriculum. The resolution, penned by board member Julie Williams, seeks to see that the material emphasizes positive aspects of American history and
“should not encourage or condone” civil disobedience, social strife or disregard of the law. Started Sept. 19, following a teacher “sick day,” students have been seen protesting along major streets near school campuses in support of their teachers and against the resolution. Students at Pomona, Arvada West and Ralston Valley high schools in Arvada staged walk outs on the morning of Sept. 23. More than 100 students walked out of Board continues on Page 7
Students walk out of class on Sept. 23 to protest proposed changes to the history curriculum by the Jeffco School Board. Students stood along Wadsworth Boulevard to spread the word about the issue. Photo by Clarke Reader