April 2026 – Newsletter

Engage Jeffco Schools – Putting the public back in public education

April Accomplishments/Announcements

• Educational Series: On April 15th, Engage Jeffco hosted a conversation with Moms Demand Action for gun sense in America and Be SMART secure gun storage. Watch the entire presentation here. PDFs of the presentations are also available here and here. If you would like to request a Be SMART secure gun storage presentation for your school or community group please email Jeffco Be SMART.
• Engage Jeffco endorses a state graduated income tax. Read more about that proposed statewide ballot initiative and how that will support education funding across the state. 
• Engage Jeffco spoke at the April 16th Jeffco School Board meeting. Watch the public comment from two members sharing statements from Social Emotional Learning Specialists (SELS) in the district and encouraged the prioritization of those vital positions in our schools, and to keep budget cuts away from classrooms. The second half of the statement is about the proposed Mill Levy Override (MLO) and partnering with local unions for a campaign built on trust and transparency. Engage Jeffco is advocating that it is vital for strong union partnership and transparency of fund allocation in the MLO in order for it to successfully pass and provide desperately needed funding this fall.
• Engage Jeffco is encouraged by Jeffco Public Schools reaffirming policies to provide “equitable educational opportunities for all students” in response to an erroneous claim from the federal DOE. An article from Denver7 includes the full statement from Jeffco Public Schools. Here is language you can use to write a thank you letter to the Superintendent for standing with Jeffco students.
• Update on – strengthening school ICE policy and training:

  In March, Engage Jeffco sent this letter to the school board and district leadership. The district has responded and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting safe and welcoming schools for every student we serve. They also responded:

  “We have highlighted these resources in our monthly Community Updates, and I shared them publicly during my superintendent update at the board’s March meeting. In addition to the resources available on our website, we are working closely with school leaders, social workers, family engagement liaisons, family ambassadors, and other trusted staff who have strong relationships with our families to provide on-the-ground support. These team members help ensure families can access reliable information, supportive resources, and assistance through the schools they know and trust.

  You also raised questions about several district policies, including JIH (Student Interviews, Interrogations, Searches, and Arrests), KI (Visitors to Schools), and JRA/JRC (Student Records/Release of Information).  The district has begun engagement with external legal and policy experts with experience in immigration law and student rights to review our current policies and procedures. This review will help ensure our guidance to staff is clear, legally sound, and consistent with our commitment to supporting students and families. Your feedback and the examples you provided will be helpful to us as we consider the feedback from external experts and possible revisions.”

  Engage Jeffco will continue to advocate for our immigrant students and their families to feel safe attending public schools. While there is no timeline for when the policies might be updated, we will continue to follow up on this progress and update our membership with any news.

Stories to follow

• Jeffco said budget cuts would stay far from students. Its planning documents tell a different story.

• How Jeffco schools got here: a decade of choices, now due