Statement From Littleton Schools Superintendent Brian Ewart

In retrospect and with the benefit of a great deal more information than was available at the time, I agree with all the reports that warning signs were missed by those inside and outside of LPS. My initial reaction to the findings is that there were warning signs, each in isolation and to some degree disconnected. The challenge was connecting the many isolated incidents into a significant threat; the district and school failed to connect the dots.

LPS will own and learn from the missed opportunities we had to disrupt Karl Pierson's path to violence with effective interventions and countermeasures. This will come from a much improved "systems-thinking" approach to information sharing, communication, and training, that includes district personnel, school personnel, law enforcement, external mental health professionals and agencies, and parents.

LPS schools are safer today than they were prior to that tragic day but we will be evaluating our systems at even a deeper level following a thorough analysis of these reports. The LPS Board of Education and administrators will be relentless in their pursuit of continuous improvement in the areas of safety and security including threat/danger assessments and mental health; these are goals we share with the Davis Family. Moving forward, it is critical that parents, outside mental health agencies, law enforcement, and schools work closely together to help students in crisis before tragedy occurs.

I would invite you to review my report to the Board of Education (including the Kanan and Dorn Reports) posted here as well and hope that you can attend the special Board of Education meeting this Thursday at 4:00 p.m. with a press conference that will follow:

at www.littletonpublicschools.net/district/arbitration-reports.

Sincerely,

Brian Ewert
Superintendent