GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (KDVR) — According to school administrators, some businesses within walking distance of Cherry Creek High School are now restricting access or banning students from entering due to disrespectful behavior.
On Monday, Principal Ryan Silva sent a letter home to parents detailing an uptick in younger students acting irresponsibly both on and off campus.
“Business owners and managers have called us to complain about students using foul language, damaging property, treating employees disrespectfully, and showing little regard for other, non-student, patrons,” the letter said. “Some have taken matters into their own hands and either restricted access or even banned our students from entering.”
It is unclear which businesses are restricting student access. However, several students and parents told FOX31 the bulk of the issues are at King Soopers.
“People shoplift from there a lot and just disrespect the employees and it’s really sad,” sophomore student Leila Harris told FOX31.
“I go to the grocery store over there so I do see the kids, and they do kind of run amok and misbehave,” parent Jordan Harris said.
FOX31 reached out to King Soopers about the issues but did not hear back.
Trash piles up, substitutes avoid classes
According to the letter, school administrators are working with local businesses to address the problems. Some have even displayed the Cherry Creek High School Code of Conduct in their storefront windows.
“On-campus behavior issues include students treating each other and adults disrespectfully in and out of class in addition to leaving trash in halls, cafeterias, and outdoor spaces,” the letter said.
“Yeah, I’ve seen trash in the parking lots. Not really around school but it’s mostly in the parking lots,” senior student Isaac Romero told FOX31.
“Lots of people litter and they don’t clean up after they’re eating and so workers have to do that,” Harris, the sophomore student, said.
According to the principal, the custodial staff is unable to keep up with the amount of trash being left outside.
The letter to parents goes on to say, “We have had substitute teachers, for the first time in my 17 years as an administrator at CCHS, share they will not sub in certain classes due to some disrespectful students.”
“Yeah, lots of kids think whenever there’s a substitute teacher that you can just play off and go on your phone because the teacher isn’t there,” Leila Harris said. “I have heard that lots of [subs] don’t even want to come back to our school because we are disrespectful to them.”
“I believe it because they’re kind of jerks. I think they still have that mentality of being in middle school,” Romero said.
In the letter, Silva wrote, “Our desire has been to be patient with our younger students because we realize they may have some holes in their development due to the increased time out of school over the last year and a half, but we also understand that we have a responsibility to make sure their behaviors are consistent with those of a high school student.”
He is now calling on parents and other students to step up and help the students who are causing issues to learn to be more considerate of others.
“There will be consequences if we do not see improvements up to and including the closure of campus during the freshman and sophomore lunches (periods 4 and 6). I am not comfortable providing our students with the privilege of going off-campus if they do not earn that privilege by acting like mature high school students,” the letter said.
According to Cherry Creek Schools, all of the district’s high schools are experiencing heightened behavioral problems as students readjust to being back in the classroom full time.
