Lauren Lennon joined the Denver7 news team in August 2025 as a morning reporter.
Thursday morning, Evergreen High School students will return to campus for their first half day about two weeks after the tragic shooting there took place.It's all part of the school’s gradual plan to return students and staff back to the school.
Thursday, September 25 and Friday, September 26 are half days, scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.John McDonald, who served as the executive director for safety, security, and emergency management with Jefferson County Public Schools for 14 years, provided some insight on what has to be considered when finalizing a plan like this for the community.McDonald responded to the Deer Creek Middle School shooting in 2010, and emphasized that the impact of a tragedy like this “doesn’t ever go away.”“We are still working with former students at Columbine High School from 1999 who are struggling in 2025 we're still seeing those students from Deer Creek, 2010 that are struggling in 2025,” he said.McDonald now provides support for school districts during, and after they experience a tragedy like this, and said the hard part now for the Evergreen community, is the crisis mental health work.“It's going to be a transition time,” he explained. “There's going to be a need to process. There's going to be a need for staff and teachers to step out to contain their own emotions. There's going to be a need for kids to have some room to navigate and process what's happening around them. Some kids are going to feel uncomfortable throughout the day and may have to leave halfway into the day, and that's all, okay.”He emphasized that everyone is going to process a situation like this differently and it’s important to give kindness, space, and safety.“There's a real balance here, and sometimes it's difficult to navigate. And the balance is, how do we create the welcoming environment that we've always had, and how do we keep a safe school environment safer today than it was yesterday?” McDonald said.Denver7 wanted to know if the return to school plan that Evergreen has released is any different than what McDonald saw while he served Jefferson County.He said it’s consistent.“The schedule today is not that dissimilar from what was created in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy. It's the same gear, the same system that we implemented during the Deer Creek tragedy, and now continues to Evergreen,” he explained.He said it’s important to have events like an open house Wednesday and half days like Thursday and Friday for students and families to acclimate to the environment.“It is a process, and processes take time. It's not just an immediate switch. You'll never go back to what you were, but you can become stronger,” he said.There will be no classes Thursday and Friday. The school said learning will be introduced through “short, partial days” starting Monday, September 29 and Tuesday, September 30.The school will have a full-time school resource officer . There will also be a full-time Jeffco Public Schools safety and security officer, dedicated patrol coverage in the Evergreen area, and additional administrative support for the EHS administrative team.“We don't want to get into the fortress building mentality, where we're locked down like a prison. But at the same time, we want that welcoming environment for our kids, where they feel not only safe, but they feel like they're they're in, you know, an environment that surrounded by trusted adults, friendly faces, classmates that you know are supportive of each other, and that is a real, real fine balance of trying to figure out, how do we make all of that happen?” McDonald said.
Evergreen HS Shooting Evergreen High School Shooting Jeffco Public Schools Gradual Return To School Plan
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Principal during 1999 Columbine High School shooting shares how to best support Evergreen communityColette Bordelon is a reporter with Denver7.
Read more »
High School Football Player of the Week: Brighton's Staton GutierrezThere are nights when everything just seems to click for a football player, and Friday was one of those nights for Brighton's Staton Gutierrez.
Read more »
High school football player hospitalized after opposing player belly flops on himLakeshore High School football player hospitalized after Kalamazoo Central High player belly flops on him.
Read more »
Dylan, Bronx high school student arrested by ICE, denied asylum claimAttorneys say they will appeal the decision. Dylan remains in ICE custody in Pennsylvania.
Read more »
In place of MCAS, panel envisions requirements that high school grads be 'thinkers' and 'leaders'Gov. Maura Healey convened the Statewide Graduation Council after voters last fall eliminated the use of the MCAS as a graduation requirement. The 'vision of a graduate' released Wednesday is its first work product.
Read more »
Colorado family helped create emergency response protocol used during Evergreen High School shootingMaggie Bryan joined the Denver7 team in June 2025 as a morning reporter.
Read more »