Public Safety

In January of 2023, Confluence was selected by the School Safety Resource Center (SSRC) to manage, support and facilitate the Colorado Interagency Working Group on School Safety, more commonly known as the School Safety Work Group (SSWG). The SSWG was formed by legislation and tasked with convening representatives from multiple state agencies with other specific stakeholders to examine the effectiveness, transparency, public awareness and collaborative approach of all state supported programs relating to school safety. Confluence’s team designed each meeting of the SSWG and its six subcommittees in collaboration with the Director of the Office of School Safety, including the topics, agendas, meeting materials, facilitation of meetings and identification of any outside experts or resources for the group’s work. Over the course of the SSWG’s work, Confluence’s team worked across state government to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all programs, resources, grants or other endeavors of any state agency to support school safety.

Drawing on the work of the six subcommittees and interviews with dozens of educators, school leaders, school system leaders, mental and behavioral health experts among others, a summary of ideas and areas for action was presented to the SSWG members. After a series of individual and small group conversations, a set of more than fifty actions was assembled to address the findings of each subcommittee. This Framework for Colorado State Government’s Approach to School Safety (the SSWG State Framework) became the foundation of the SSWG’s report and recommendations to state leaders which was published in January of 2024. The collaborative approach taken by leaders in Colorado and the focus on actionable recommendations are not only informing action in Colorado, they have attracted interest from state and federal officials across the country and bipartisan interest in the process and the recommendations.