E0B0A337D99BE7E48725845C006B3A5E Hearing Summary

The committee returned to order.

Denille LePlatt, representing CDE, spoke about rural schools in Colorado and school safety preparedness. She listed both challenges and opportunities that rural schools have dealt with.

Kathy Morris, representing Durango School District 9-R, talked about interoperability and training in the area of school safety.

Michelle Murphy, representing the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance, talked about funding gaps faced by rural school districts and problems filling mental health treatment provider slots.

Dr. Sarah Davidon, representing Mental Health Colorado, discussed the provision of mental health services to students.

Jake Cousins, representing Padres y Jovenes Unidos, spoke about community conversations with educators, students, and parents about healthy school climates.

Amie Baca Oehlert, representing the Colorado Education Association, talked about ongoing needs assessments, a focus on social emotional learning, smaller ratios for mental health professionals, and the need to bring play and fun back into the learning environment.

The panel responded to questions from the committee about the ratio of adults to students in schools and adequate funding to let local school districts make decisions about appropriate staffing.

The discussion turned to issues faced by some Latinx students with regard to immigration issues.