ELIZABETH, Colorado — Concerns about a teacher were reported to leadership at Elizabeth Middle School last spring but were not passed along to law enforcement or district officials, instead, district leadership said they learned about the allegations in late September when they were reported directly to police.
Under Colorado law, school staff are mandatory reporters, however, the district cautioned that staff actions may or may not rise to the level of a crime.
Last week, the district announced that four Elizabeth Middle School staff members were placed on leave after the administration learned of allegations that surfaced last spring. Wednesday night District Superintendent Dan Snowberger spoke before roughly 50 people at a meeting and provided additional information about the circumstances surrounding their leave.
Angela Anderson, the parent of a 7th grader, was among those who attended.
"As adults employed by a public school district they needed to let the authorities make decisions and judgment calls and not make the judgment calls themselves," she said afterward.
In a news release after the meeting, the district said Snowberger learned about accusations against a teacher from the Elizabeth Police Chief on Sept. 26. According to the district, the complaint filed with police was against an Elizabeth Middle School teacher and was related to concerns from last spring.
Due to conflicts of interest, Elizabeth Police transferred the case to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for an investigation.
Snowberger, according to the district, was provided "limited" information about the concerns being investigated. The next day, the teacher was placed on administrative leave, which is standard anytime complaints are made against an individual involving students.
The district said because the complaint went directly to law enforcement, Snowberger had no way of knowing which student or students may have been involved. The district said the allegations are "from the past" and that there was a need to interview a "large number" of individuals, some of whom are no longer in the district.
On Sept. 27, Snowberger received a detailed request from the investigators to secure records pertaining to the concerns expressed. This included notes, emails, electronic documents, and any personal information of specific allegations in the possession of staff at Elizabeth Middle School.
Prior to late September, the district said that no district officials or board members were made aware of the concerns that had been reported to school leadership last year.
Parallel to the law enforcement investigation, the district is currently looking into the response to the students' concerns, with specific attention being paid to district policy and procedures, which includes adherence to legal requirements. The district said the criminal investigation will take precedence.
Snowberger's investigation began on Oct. 30, after getting clearance from law enforcement. Through it, he has interviewed staff members and was given permission to interview students who had been identified as having knowledge or being involved in the concerns last school year.
He started that process by reaching out to parents, the district said. In all, he contacted seven parents. Three initially responded and set up a time to meet. The others did not immediately respond. At the meeting Wednesday night, he told parents the students shared "similar" concerns about the teacher's behavior but did not elaborate.
Based on those interviews, Snowberger said he found a "number" of concerns involving staff adherence to district policies and law regarding the mandatory reporting requirement when receiving allegations that involved a child. However, the district also cautioned their behavior "may or may not rise to a level of criminal conduct."
Upon receiving any additional information from the individuals on leave, Snowberger will weigh the facts, and make a recommendation to the Board of Education sometime after Thanksgiving Break.
In the meantime, Elizabeth Middle School’s new administrative team has assumed leadership. That consists of:
- Kimberly Runyan, previous assistant principal at Elizabeth High School.
- Mark Carara, retired principal from Falcon High School in Colorado Springs
- Jim McCoin, retired athletic director from Colorado Springs District 11
According to the district, the team will not act as substitutes and are empowered to make all decisions around the day-to-day operations at Elizabeth Middle School.
The district has placed additional counseling resources at the school to ensure students and staff have support as they navigate the changes.
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