The Newsroom: Superintendent’s Update

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Superintendent’s Update

Dear St. Vrain Valley Schools Community,

Thank you for your continued partnership as we advance the academic success and comprehensive well-being of our students, teachers, and staff. We have had much to celebrate the last several weeks including St. Vrain students recently winning both the middle school and high school VEX State Robotics Championships with numerous schools qualifying for the World Championships, the district hosting its first Unified Robotics Night, students winning state championships in wrestling and competing at very high levels in state basketball tournaments, the launch of Parent University, and so much more.

In addition to recognizing the incredible achievements of our students, teachers, and staff, I have also been closely following the regional, state, and national trends we are seeing related to school safety, including swatting incidents around Colorado where false calls are made to emergency services regarding active school threats, and student protests in Denver regarding school safety. The safety and well-being of our students and community is paramount, and I want to take a moment to emphasize our ongoing commitment to providing the highest levels of safety and security in our schools. Over the past 15 years, we have invested approximately $48 million in school security upgrades, including double-vestibule entrances, security cameras, and other building upgrades. We have also invested heavily in increasing the number of School Resource Officers, and earlier this year, we added a Campus Supervisor to all of our district elementary schools, in addition to having them at all of our secondary schools.

We have also continued to prioritize and invest in programs that advance mental health and student well-being. Over the last several years, we’ve allocated an additional counselor to each high school, as well as increased counseling support at all elementary schools across St. Vrain. This is in addition to strong social-emotional support programming at all grade levels, PK-14, and a priority focus on ensuring that all students have the opportunity to engage in athletics, visual and performing arts, and other co-curricular activities beyond the school day. This has not only had a positive impact on academic growth and achievement, but also on student health and well-being. Over the past several years, we have seen significant positive growth in healthy behaviors, resulting in a reduction in substance use, as well as a reduction in bullying and increases in student engagement.

While we have experienced many positive outcomes from our increased investments in student safety and well-being, strong partnerships with our families and students continue to be a significant priority. Last week, we had an incident at a middle school involving a student bringing an airsoft gun to school. While some people consider these to be facsimile guns, they can look very real and are easily mistaken for a real weapon. Airsoft guns or any other object resembling a weapon is not allowed on district property, and we will not tolerate any behaviors both on or off district property that impact the safety and sanctity of our schools and community. We take all reports of school safety concerns very seriously and continue to emphasize the importance of everyone’s role in reporting concerns and sharing information with the district and our law enforcement partners. In addition to contacting your school or local law enforcement, students and families are also strongly encouraged to use Safe2Tell to share anonymous or confidential information. 

Again, I am very grateful for the continued partnership and support of our entire community in advancing the safety, well-being, and success of our students. I look forward to the coming months and the many celebrations that will take place, including our District Art Show, Teacher Appreciation Week, and our 2023 graduation ceremonies. 

If you have any questions or feedback for the district, please feel free to contact me directly or your student’s school principal. 

Sincerely,
Don Haddad, Ed.D.
Superintendent
@SVVSDSupt

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