Participants shared experiences, learned together, and fostered cross-functional communication to promote and enhance school safety
ASPEN, COLO. (June 13, 2023) - On Friday, June 9, educators, public safety officials and representatives from local governments across the Roaring Fork Valley gathered in Aspen for the inaugural Roaring Fork School Safety Summit. Held in partnership with the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Aspen Police Department, the Aspen Institute, and the Colorado School Safety Resource Center, the event touched on crisis response and post-crisis reunification, mental health resources, translated emergency messaging, and more.
“In the wake of the 2023 swatting events at the Aspen School District that resulted in a significant response from public safety officials, we wanted to bring together leaders from our educational institutions, public safety agencies, counties, and municipalities to hear from school safety professionals, learn about best practices, share experiences across disciplines, and continue our work to create a safe environment for our children, teachers, and staff,” said Alex Burchetta, Undersheriff for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
The Summit’s core values include collaboration, empathy, innovation, inclusivity, and accountability. Goals during the Summit included working together; striving to understand and empathize with the experiences of others; committing to explore new ideas and approaches to improve school safety; recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in creating safe and welcoming schools; and taking responsibility for implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of future solutions.
Speakers included Carly Posey from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, Michelle Muething from the Aspen Hope Center, Zuben Bastani from ReachWell, and Christine Harms from the Colorado School Safety Resource Center.
Media contact: Marci Suazo, Pitkin County Communications Manager, marci.suazo@pitkincounty.com, (970) 309-2343