Denver will have secure vestibules at many schools, but East High doesn't want one

Students will soon see safety upgrades at a dozen public schools in Denver because of a bond measure passed by voters last November.

Other new technology is being installed as well. And schools at every level from kindergarten to 12th grade are adding secure vestibules.

Before gaining access to the hallways and classrooms at Stedman Elementary School, visitors are screened via an outdoor camera.

Then asked for identification at a transaction window.  Another inside camera records, and a set of double doors is an additional barrier for visitors to pass through.

"Secure vestibules are really a best practice nationwide in K-12," said Greg Cazell, DPS Chief of Climate and Safety, standing in the hallway at Stedman. "Before this secure vestibule was installed, a visitor could walk through that front door and very quickly be into this building."

A total of 29 Denver schools already have the vestibules, and 11 more will have them installed soon.

Jed Davis has three kids at Stedman.

"Now we have to have all these extra security measures and it's just a shame that we, the state of our country that we have to do this," he said.

At East High School, parents pushed back on adding a vestibule to the entrance, so Denver Public Schools decided to halt the construction.

The East community argued the vestibule would damage the school's historic entrance. And they said it would not make the school safer.

"Everybody is against this because they know how the building works. People flow in and out of 20 doors at the ground level, there's dozens of windows that are open all day long and that vestibule is just going to slow down the flow of people in and out of the school," said East parent Steve Katsaros.

Katsaros is a co-founder of the Parents Safety Advocacy Group, founded a couple of years ago, after a series of shootings at or near the campus, including one that took the life of student Luis Garcia, and another where two deans were injured on campus.

Cazzell says the vestibules are just one of many layers of safety a school should have. The number one priority, though, is knowing your kids.

"Having great relationships with our students and identifying those that are in crisis before we get to an event that tips that scale," Cazzell said.

DPS recently mandated additional safety training for its entire workforce, so everyone's on the same page on what's needed to keep schools safe.

So kids can focus on learning.

"It's scary for them, but it's part of living here," added Davis.

The newest round of secure vestibules is costing DPS nearly $6.4 million. The school district is investing $28 million from last year's bond to improve safety at schools.