(Colorado Newsline) The Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to release a recording of its March meeting where members privately discussed changes to district safety policies, excluding any discussions of confidential student information. 

A coalition of local media outlets, including Newsline, filed a lawsuit in April seeking the release of the recording of the meeting, arguing the board violated the Colorado Open Meetings Law. The DPS board convened on March 23 and, after meeting in private during a so-called executive session for five hours, adopted without public discussion a new policy temporarily bringing armed police officers back to the district.

The decision came a day after an East High School student shot and injured two administrators at the school. The board has since voted to bring armed officers back to schools permanently.

In a special meeting Friday morning, board members gathered virtually to discuss whether they should release the recording. Several members questioned why the matter was urgent enough to call a meeting in July when members had asked about releasing the meeting recording a month ago. 

A Denver District Court judge ruled that the entirety of the meeting should be released, but the school district filed an appeal and sought several delays to the release of the recording as the case goes through the appeals process. 

Board Secretary Michelle Quattlebaum noted that when the media coalition originally filed the lawsuit, the Board of Education took no action. She also pointed out that when Vice President Auon’tai Anderson asked for the board to release the recording last month, the board took no action.

“I’m grateful that we’re here. I’m just concerned why we are here in July, because I believe that we could have done this before a lawsuit initiated, before we wasted the time of the taxpayers, our public, and also burning bridges with those in our media,” Anderson said. 

After Quattlebaum asked multiple times why a discussion on releasing the meeting recording became urgent enough to call a board meeting in July — when the board typically doesn’t meet at all — she yielded because she said she “probably won’t get an answer.” Board Treasurer Scott Esserman reiterated the same concerns about the motivation behind holding a meeting in July, also noting Anderson’s previous requests to release the recording.

Members also agreed that the recording should be made publicly available so anyone can access it without filing a records request.

Board Director Charmaine Lindsay said she never had a problem with the recording being released, but she didn’t feel she had a say because it was being handled legally. 

“I think in the interest of transparency as a board, it’s probably the best that we just release it now and be done with it, and I don’t think anybody has anything to hide,” Lindsay said. “So I’m in favor of releasing it and I think that I was just waiting for an opportunity to be able to voice that in some way.”

DPS staff did not immediately respond to questions Friday about the timing of the recording’s release. Attorneys representing the media coalition said that the district indicated the release could come by the end of the day.

Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and Twitter.