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Security guard: Arapahoe HS shooting preventable

An Arapahoe High School security guard says Claire Davis' death was preventable.

DENVER - An Arapahoe High School security guard says Claire Davis' death was preventable.

Christina Kolk accuses Littleton Public Schools of not following its own policy, not suspending students when necessary and minimizing bad behavior.

"The school could have prevented Claire Davis' death," said Dan Recht, Kolk's attorney."The school's stubborn unwillingness to take Karl Pierson's situation and the situation of other students seriously was of increasing concern to Christina. The school had a history of downplaying and minimizing bad behavior."

Kolk has been on paid administrative leave from the school, where she witnessed the shooting December 13, 2013. She said the administration has not been able to tell her exactly why she's been suspended.

At the news conference Monday afternoon, Kolk produced several behavioral reports she says the school generated, three of them involved the shooter, Karl Pierson.

In the report dated September 3, 2013, school officials documented a threat Pierson yelled in the school parking lot, a threat to kill his debate teacher, Tracy Murphy.

According to this report, Pierson was never suspended. A threat assessment was done, where it was determined he was not a "high-level of threat."

The summary of the criminal investigation into the shooting done by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office concluded the same thing when it came to the threat assessment done on Pierson.

A behavioral report dated December 13, 2013, the day of the shootings, shows the school documented a first and second-degree assault involving Pierson, stating there no injuries but a presence of a "dangerous weapon."

Claire Davis was critically injured in that shooting, and died a few days later. Pierson was found dead on scene.

Kolk also gave an example of a behavior report with unnamed student, because he may still be attending school.

In the report dated November 12, 2013, the student is accused of having tobacco and a large knife in his car. According to the report, when the student's car was searched, two cans of beer were found inside. The report says when the student was searched inside the school, two additional knives were found on him. The report the student was suspended for 5-10 days.

Kolk says she was surprised that student wasn't expelled.

She said there was a pattern at the school of staff being discouraged to report poor behavior.

"For six years I was told there was never a problem with me putting anything in writing. It was probably within the last year that was told that I couldn't put anything in writing or email form," Kolk said.

Each school district in Colorado submits Safety and Discipline Indicators report to The Colorado Department of Education. Kolk believes the behavior reports would feed into the overall report submitted to the state.

Kolk said she's come forward, hoping the information will inspire change.

Kolk's colleague, Arapahoe High School security guard Cameron Rust, brought the same concerns to 9NEWS months ago.

Over the past year, 9NEWS has repeatedly asked Littleton Public Schools to discuss these allegations, including leaving messages Monday in response to this story. We have not received a single response from the district since the shooting.

(KUSA-TV © 2014 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

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