CREEDE— Creede School Superintendent Buck Stroh opened a conversation during the April 18 board of eduction meeting to further discuss a topic of interest with the board. During a previous meeting, Stroh introduced the board to the act that was being pushed through legislature during the first session at the beginning of the year and explained the possible impacts it could have on the small mountain school. “The act has been passed through the house and is now in effect,” said Stroh.
The Claire Davis Safe Harbor Act came about through a lawsuit filed by parents of a school shooting victim in the Arapahoe shootings that happened in 2013. Parents of the victim agreed not to sue the school for a breach in security if they helped form regulations that make schools responsible for the safety of students. Stroh continued to explain that the details of the act had finally been finished and that it could have a significant impact on the school if the board and staff did not pay attention now.
According to the release provided by Stroh it states, “Effective July 1, 2017 governmental immunity no longer exists for schools that fail to take reasonable care to guard against incidents of school violence. Schools may be liable for up to $350,000 for any injury to one person in any single occurrence, and $990,000 for an injury to two or more persons in any single occurrence. Schools should therefore make sure that they can demonstrate that they took steps to prevent incidents of school violence, which are defined to include murder, first degree assault and felony sexual assault. An incident of school violence may be between students, staff members or any other person and may occur at both school and school-sponsored events.”
The change in the act will make schools liable for the safety of their students and will require regular training exercises to be performed in school. Stroh stated that though the Creede School and staff have always performed the safety trainings as part of their monthly routine, they may consider looking at the safety of their school in more detail
“The number one concern here is student safety. Money does not matter in this situation, but if something did occur, this school would be putting out a for sale sign,” stated Stroh. Board members immediately began to discuss possible solutions to any security problems such as having the emergency response training added to the responsibility of after school activity coaches and checking to make sure security rules are being followed by staff.
“The incident that happened in Aurora recently was because the janitor was hauling out trash and had propped the doors open. It was that easy for the perpetrator to get in and commit the crime,” stated Stroh. Board members agreed that the situation deserved their attention and finished the conversation by coming up with ideas on how to begin.
The new regulation within the act states that schools throughout the nation will have to prove that they are following proper safety procedures on a regular basis. Stroh stated that the Creede school practiced safety training on a regular basis and would increase safety procedure in the future to ensure the safety of their students.