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Week of November 10, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 39 | ISSUE 16
‘Another change, another process’
Suspects of Lakewood apartment fire taken into custody BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Jeffco Board of Education heard from Emory Elementary parents and teachers on Nov. 3 about the District’s consolidation plan for PHOTO BY ANDREW FRAIELI 16 elementary schools.
Emory Elementary holds final public hearing on Jeffco District consolidation plan BY ANDREW FRAIELI AFRAIELI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Emory Elementary, slated for closure along with 15 other elementary schools if the Jeffco Board of Education votes to pass the District’s plan on Nov. 10, had its final individual opportunity to speak out Nov. 3. This was also the final public hearing before the vote, and parents and teachers alike spoke out against the consolidations. Many families and teachers at
Emory see the possibility of consolidations as a broken promise from the District, as they have faced consolidations before when Rose Stein Elementary originally closed, pushing families to what is now Emory. “I’ve been at Emory forever, since my girls were at Rose Stein,” said Ana Porras, a parent who spoke at the hearing. “We were told to leave, ‘it’s going to close’ — but it’s still there. We’re at it again.” “It was really tough for us to move from Stein, and the community felt it, and they said, ‘We are going to make this a viable dual-language program at that particular school,’” explained Emory teacher Kendra Smith. Now, she said, “I feel like the community is being retraumatized again.”
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
The dual-language program is another major concern for Emory families, as much of the school and community is Hispanic. The District has said that the dual-language program will move to Lasley, but parents are still worried. Porras began to cry when she tried to express the stress of finding another dual-language school nearby, wishing the District had given parents more time so they weren’t rushing. “You’re not giving us another way to see the District as liars. You’re not,” she continued, going on to say, similar to parents in past meetings, that it feels like the decision has been made before it even came up for parents to speak out. SEE HEARING, P5
ELECTION RESULTS
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The two juvenile suspects wanted on suspicion of starting an apartment fire in Lakewood that killed a mother and her 10-year-old daughter on Halloween were arrested Nov. 6. According to Lakewood Police Department Public Information Officer John Romero, the fire appeared intentionally set, and warrants had been put out for the two juveniles, whose names will not be released because of their age, for 1st Degree Murder and 1st Degree Arson. The Tiffany Square apartment building burned down at 4 a.m. Oct. 31, leaving nine injured and two dead. Three who were injured were transported to a local hospital — a mother, father and child — according to West Metro Fire. The two found dead were Kathleen Payton, 31, and her daughter Jazmine Payton-Aguayo, 10 according to Romero. At least 14 units were damaged by the fire, with residents of all 32 units being displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting residents in finding shelter, according to West Metro Fire.