The Mancos RE-6 Board of Education on Monday learned about new laws that could affect the district, spoke of a recent budget audit and continued discussions of hiring a school resource officer.
In board reports, Victor Figueroa informed the board of recently passed laws that could affect the district as early as summer 2025.
The first, House Bill 24-10-63, could limit the practice of sending special education students home from school early and potentially keeping them from meeting their required hours of instruction, Figueroa said.
The Colorado Association of School Boards plans to send a policy to Colorado boards about the new law, expected to go into effect on July 1.
Figueroa also mentioned the development of a Colorado task force to examine aggressive behavior at school, with special education considerations. Another is a House and Senate Bill that will advise conceal carry rules and the prohibition of guns in “sensitive spaces” including school buildings.
Mancos schools do not have armed staff or an official school resource officer, Figueroa said.
The other two laws had to do with bullying and harassment and how schools learn about artificial intelligence.
The community as a whole was supportive of adding a SRO, and Hutcheson-Brown said they were able to survey the whole secondary school body to find that the overwhelming majority of Mancos’ secondary students were in support of having a SRO. Out of all the students, 112 said they thought a SRO would make the school better and safer, and 24 disagreed.
Board President Emily Hutcheson-Brown said the entire board was impressed with the information and research provided to them via the SRO committee. The board will seek to determine whether they will hire a SRO. Hutcheson-Brown said they hope to start the decision process in November or December.
Rachel McWhirter updated the board about Montezuma-Cortez school district’s potential exit from BOCES.
Right now, there is no plan in place in case Montezuma-Cortez pulls out of BOCES, McWhirter said, but she added that they again will have to prove that they can properly provide for their students and that BOCES can survive without them.
Superintendent Todd Cordrey said Montezuma-Cortez Superintendent Tom Burris had asked neighboring districts to write a letter in support of their decision. Cordrey and the board agreed that would not write a letter supporting or opposing the district’s attempt to leave BOCES.
Cordrey said the last time Montezuma-Cortez attempted to pull out, he had written a letter opposing the move.
On another topics:
- Cordrey said the Mancos Marshal’s Office and a local wildlife group were working to relocate a bear that has been coming onto campus with her cub.
- The board celebrated their “nearly perfect” budget after a recent audit, and shared that they hope to have this year’s budget do just as well.
The next Mancos school board meeting will take place Monday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m.
