The ‘Seclusion Room’ Scandal at DPS, Pricey Port-a-Potties, and Roller Coasters

What a week it was in Denver! First, DPS is in the midst of a crisis, this time involving a fired principal, a questionable student “seclusion room” with a lock on the door, and a whistleblower unloading some serious allegations — all centered on the McAuliffe International School, a middle school in Park Hill. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by returning guest, public school teacher and HD4 candidate Tim Hernández to break down this complicated situation. Then, wins and fails of the week, from some important roller coaster news and new renter protection laws a Boulder case involving the devastating and permanently disabling outcome of solitary confinement. Just a note: This episode contains graphic mentions of self-harm. What do you think about the “seclusion room” at McAuliffe? This is a developing situation, and we’re far from finished talking about it. So we want to hear from you! Tell us what you think in a text or a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show soon: 720-500-5418 Find out more about Tim’s run for House District 4 here; and his opponents Rochelle Galindo and Cecilia Espenoza. Paul played a clip of this 9News report on former McAuliffe principal Kurt Dennis’s firing, shared an excerpt from this letter from parent of a student who spent time in the room in question, and talked about the new Department of Public Safety dashboards. We also discussed the 9News interview some say Dennis was fired for giving. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm. Follow our weather guy for all your weekend weather needs: Rain or Shine, it's Andy Stein! Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Wine Board Girl Scouts of Colorado - DreamLab Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise