Welcome to Class Notes! More of you are joining every week, and I'm glad you're here. Let's get into it.

What's on my mind this week: My daughter's early reading challenges and dyslexia diagnosis taught me that the kids who struggle most aren't less capable, they're just learning in a system that wasn't built for them. Principal Fabricio Velez at Vikan Middle School gets that. Even if you've never heard of Vikan, the story is worth your time.

So is what happened Thursday at Arvada High School, where students walked out to protest what they see as unjust immigration enforcement practices. These students are showing courage in the face of fear and believe that even a small act like a school walkout can make a difference.

Students at Arvada High School walked out Thursday. For student organizer Ollie, the protest was about more than immigration policy.

"It's not just immigrants anymore, it's an attack on anyone who is against them," Ollie said. "We really wanted to stand up against injustice."

The protest was organized by Hero Club, the school's LGBTQ+ student group. Students handed out bilingual pamphlets with know-your-rights information and a whistle code to alert others if ICE is spotted. Arvada West held a similar walkout about a week ago.

Sarah Silver, an English and theater teacher who sponsors Hero Club, said some students wanted to participate, but their parents thought it was too risky.

Children are afraid now. They see an unmarked car that looks like it could be ICE, and they don't want to leave their house," Silver said. "I've heard students talk about that. It's just the permeating fear.”

Between the lines: ICE doesn't have to enter a school to affect it. A recent multi-district study found student absences rose 22% on days when immigration raids took place in the community, even though agents never set foot on campus.

Why it matters: Schools are supposed to be safe places for all students. When fear of what's happening outside keeps kids from showing up, that promise breaks down.

What's next: I'm working on a larger story examining how Jeffco communicates its policies on immigration enforcement to families and staff, and whether that information is reaching them.

📌 Lawsuit warned of Thunder Vista dangers before fire. Three weeks before Thunder Vista P-8 caught fire, Adams 12 was already in court suing over the exact type of electrical damage that investigators now say sparked the blaze. Read more →

📌 Inside Vikan Middle School's turnaround fight. Principal Fabricio Velez transformed Vikan from one of 27J's most chaotic schools into a place where students want to be. But test scores haven't caught up with culture, and if they don't improve this year, the school faces a state board hearing in 2027 that could limit local control. Read more →

📌 How much is your Jeffco school losing? If you're reading this, you saw it first. Last week, I published the full list of budget cuts by school, records obtained through a public records request after the district declined to name the 11 schools facing cuts above 3%. See the list →

Conifer concussion records are in. I filed a public records request after a parent told the Jeffco board his son suffered a concussion during a Conifer High School lacrosse practice in September and questioned whether coaches were properly trained and whether an athletic trainer was present.

The district's response: All three coaches completed required concussion training for the 2024-25 season. But no athletic trainer was present at the September practices because the district considers them part of an "offseason club program" and not an official school activity. The practices were held at Conifer, with Conifer coaches, involving Conifer athletes. Parents might reasonably assume the school's concussion protocol would apply. The district says it didn't.

📍 Jeffco's "double whammy" budget hit. The $23.5 million in district-mandated cuts are separate from the enrollment-based reductions schools face on top of them. Schools losing students get hit twice: less per-pupil funding and the BRB reductions. I'm digging into how this compounds at schools across the district.

📍 27J reboundary discussions. I’m continuing to build an interactive tool that lets you step into the superintendent's shoes and see exactly what each boundary decision costs real families.

31% and 35% — The increase in absenteeism for K–5 and pre-K students, respectively, during immigration raid periods in one California study. High schoolers showed smaller increases.

Researchers estimate those raids led to 1.4 extra missed days per student over about half a school year, totalling more than 725,000 lost school days across five districts. If similar patterns hold here, the youngest students in Jefferson, Adams, and Weld counties could be hit hardest.

I can't be everywhere, but you are. If something's happening in your district or school that doesn't add up, I want to hear about it. A policy that makes no sense. A budget line that vanished. A question no one will answer.

You can stay anonymous. I protect my sources.

Class Notes is reported and written by Suzie Glassman for the Colorado Trust for Local News.

I do the homework on your schools, so you don't have to.

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