Successful mill levy means new safety director in 27J

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

27J Schools made good on its promise to begin a school safety program.

Late last month, the district made its rst step in that direction by hiring its rst director of safety and security. He is Sam Ortega.

Before the November election, a press statement said the district community focused on improving school safety, including a safety/security department, more safety o cers in schools and more training for safety sta .

Ortega has been the district’s emergency response and crisis coordinator, one of two members of the district safety sta serving the 23,000-student school district.

Ortega’s tasks include planning and putting into place a safety and security department, plus developing and ex- ecuting short- and long-range plans/.

“Sam brings a unique blend of school administration and school safety systems experience to the new position,” the statement read. “He has rst-hand knowledge of the safety focus school leaders have, and he has strong relationships with local law enforcement, including the Brighton, Commerce City, and ornton Police Departments, as well as the Adams County Sheri ’s Department. He’s trained with police o cers in school safety drills, planning and problemsolving situations involving all of the district’s 24 district-managed schools”

“When it comes to school safety, we know our community and sta are con dent they can count on Sam to be the kind of leader we need to keep our students and sta as safe as possible,” Superintendent Chris Fiedler said in the statement. “Sam has built strong relationships and partnerships to support our work to expand our safety and security system in 27J Schools.”

Chief Operating O cer Terry Lucero, who has worked alongside Ortega the past ve years, said it’s a real bene t to have a highly quali ed safety professional for this role with relevant school administration experience.

“We have a vast mix of students and families in 27J Schools,” Ortega said in the statement. “Every single student deserves to come to school and feel safe. ey need to have con dence in the safety of their school so they can focus completely on learning.”

Ortega was an assistant principal at Vikan Middle School and was the principal of summer school in 27J Schools. He also served in Adams 14 School District as a middle-school dean of students and athletic director in Commerce City.

He earned his bachelor’s degree with a double major in criminal justice and political science from New Mexico Highlands University and his masters in educational administration from Grand Canyon University. Ortega began his new job earlier this month.