We are responding to the Oct. 13 letter to the editor from Kyra Storojev about the Douglas County sheriff’s race and school safety. As the parents of Kendrick Castillo, who was murdered in 2019 at STEM School in suburban Highlands Ranch, we have a drastically different view.

Storojev says that a teacher’s job is to teach, and that it is law enforcement’s job to apprehend perpetrators. In the murder that took our son Kendrick’s life, law enforcement was there very quickly, but it was too late for our son. The only person who could have saved his life was an armed staff member in that room. Sadly, Kendrick’s teacher didn’t even have the option. Are Storojev and sheriff candidate Michael Phibbs saying that the death of one child, or even two children, is acceptable?

Phibbs also said in a candidate Q&A in this paper that teachers don’t want the burden of carrying a firearm. We ask how this compares to the burden these teachers face of potentially dying by defending children with their bodies. Because we see this in every one of these acts of domestic terrorism in our nation’s schools.

Phibbs also referred to these school shooters as “active harmers.” What insulting language to use in a community where our son was murdered, and Claire Davis was murdered. They were not simply “harmed.” They are never coming home to their families. Phibbs should be ashamed of himself for using this language.

We have endorsed Darren Weekly for Douglas County sheriff because his view of school safety lines up very closely to ours. Where there are well-trained, armed school employees who would volunteer to defend children (and other school employees), we are glad to support our future Sheriff Weekly, who will support that effort in Douglas County.

John and Maria Castillo

Roxborough