DATA has been on probation, but everyone thought it had at least another year. The vote was 4-3 to shut down. Here is the interesting part about the vote: not one of the people who voted yes has visited the school within the last year, and many of the facts that they were given are based on information from the last couple of years. Staff, parents, students, and the community expressed their outrage the next day, and Dr. Griffin decided to fight to keep the school open.

On a day, as it happens, when the Little Rock 9 was reuniting in Denver, DATA decided to march and hold a rally to keep school open. Now the implications were not as big as when the Little Rock 9 decided to break the school color barrier in Arkansas, but for the DATA community it was huge. My wife and I were honored to take part in the march and rally. Veronica was recovering from surgery, and actually went straight to the rally from a follow-up procedure at the doctor’s office. Veronica’s students were so excited to see her back at work and gave her a big hug.

There in the playground were all of DATA students, teachers, and parents ready to march with their signs they had made. We marched for about an hour within community and local businesses and cars passing by showed their support. The marchers chanted “Keep Our School Open,” “Save DATA,” and “Save Our School” with great emotion. It was great to see people of all ages coming together for this cause, but especially great to see Veronica’s students at the march and the rally. The rally the night was also great, with many students, parents, and teachers expressing why the school should remain open. The school is decorated with signs students have made and with a huge poster from Hallett Elementary School showing their support for DATA as well. Hallett is another of the eight schools also to be shut down after this year!

Now I am reminded of a verse in Matthew 16:24-25 that says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” People at DATA yesterday picked up their cross, decided not to just accept the vote, and fight for the life of their school. The effort may lose, the vote may not be overturned, but what impressed me was that Dr. Griffin has inspired the DATA community to do whatever it can to fight to remain open. I think it is a powerful message to send to our young people that you can use your voice, your legs, and your mind to fight for a worthy cause. If they remain open they will have sent a powerful message to the school board that you can not just close down a school without a fight. We have sent a powerful message to our students that we care about them.

I am very aware of the politics involved in these decisions. I work at Skinner, a regular public school that has lost many students to DATA. Skinner is in danger of being shut down as well, and might actually benefit from DATA’s demise. The very program I teach in has been cut back. My co-workers may actually have seen my support of DATA as betraying our own best interest. In all of this, the most important issue gets lost—what’s best for these kids?

How do you tell a student who has attended a school for all these years, “Sorry, go find a new school!” Many of these students have to be told over and over, “It’s not your fault, and it has nothing to do with you.” Perhaps our education system is hurting because of the message we send: if your school doesn’t perform we will shut you down in a heartbeat. Instead, we need to take a strategic look and say, “What kind of resources do our schools need to succeed?”

I know the issues are more complex than I can address here, with low-test scores, shrinking enrollment, and higher expectations for schools contributing to the issue, but there has to be a better way.

So I say to the DATA community, fight for your life to remain open! May our students learn a valuable lesson: when you care deeply about something, you can “pick up your cross” and fight for it. Your voice, your opinion does matter. May the school board hear the message and give you another chance.

To watch a brief video about the march click here.

Vince Trujillo
works with youth in DPS schools, but is also a big kid himself
is part of the best morning basketball in Denver
knows way too much about sports
is married to a great woman and has a dog named Bronco!!!