Dear Jeffco Public Schools parents, staff, students, and community members,
On April 20, 1999, the Jeffco community was rocked by the then-unimaginable school shooting that took the lives of thirteen and injured twenty-one students and staff at Columbine High School. Amplified by media attention, the entire world watched as Jeffco struggled through a tragedy that has stayed with our community ever since.
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Twenty years on, the name Columbine still carries weight far beyond Jefferson County. For those who lived it, it is not a symbol — it is a memory of neighbors, classmates, and colleagues. This letter reflects on what our community carries, what it has learned, and the promise we owe to every child who walks through our doors.