Parents came out in large numbers this week to take a stand on safety in and around northeast Denver schools.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, over 250 parents and residents received a resounding “yes” from officials to work on improving safety and neighborhood clean up in the Swansea neighborhood. Swansea Elementary School parents worked together with the Local Organizing Committee of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church to organize the public action.

Community officials present included Swansea Elementary School Principal Mary Sours, Denver Police Department District 2 Captain Mike O'Neill, Ken Orlin of Keep Denver Beautiful and Councilwoman Debbie Ortega.

The following evening, Nov. 7, at Harrington Elementary School, 150 parents and residents called for safer streets for their children, a fence for the school playground and after school programs providing a safe place for children to study and play.

At Swansea Elementary School, since hearing the parents’ concerns, DPS has installed security cameras, hired crossing guards and is working on ending busing of kindergartners to Columbine Elementary School. District 2 will increase patrols and enforce the speed limit in the school zone. Safety concerns at the railroad crossing will also be addressed.

The city’s Keep Denver Beautiful office coordinated clean up of vacant lots within a couple weeks of meeting with the committee. Ken Orlin made an enthusiastic commitment on Wednesday evening to continue to work with the community. Councilwoman Ortega expressed her support for the duration of her term, congratulating the Organizing Committee for the impressive turnout.

At Harrington Elementary School, Principal Sally Edwards joined with Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth’s office in an unequivocal affirmation of the parents’ proposals. In spite of their recognition of an unprecedented turnout, Denver Public Schools and Denver Police Department officials were not able to make full commitments at the Thursday evening meeting. Support is anticipated in the coming weeks.

Parents and residents lead both meetings, first summarizing their process of visiting one-on-one with hundreds of parents. They then presented the results of their research into the stated problems. Parents gave testimony of very personal incidents when their children had been in dangerous situations around their schools and neighborhood. The proposals presented to the officials were the culmination of several months of intensive work.

These community meetings were preceded by a focus on safety concerns by the Parent Organizing Committees at the Manual Educational Complex, a gathering that brought out 150 people in May 2002. A parking lot attendant, increased security presence and patrols, implementation of a conflict management curriculum for students, and stronger policies around tardiness and truancy resulted from the Manual parents’ efforts. Cole Middle School parents will be sponsoring a Community Action on Safety on December 5.

These Parent Organizing Committees are part of the Northeast Denver Parent Organizing in Education (NEDPOE) Initiative, a focused effort to elevate the voice of parents as strong partners in school reform efforts. NEDPOE’s parent organization, Metro Organizations for People, has been working in metro Denver for 25 years promoting community organizing and resident leadership development in 23 churches, schools and neighborhood associations.

NEDPOE is made possible through the support of Making Connections-Denver (an Initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation), Denver Foundation, Denver Public Schools, Enterprise Communities-City & County of Denver, Ford Foundation, Piton Foundation, and Washington Mutual. For more information, contact NEDPOE at 303-391-6442, nedpoe2002@yahoo.com.

For more information, contact Abby Van Echaute, Metro Organizations for People, 303-399-2425.