Colorado school and district staff indicted for not reporting teacher's alleged sexual assaults

Three current employees and one former employee of the Summit County School District have been indicted by a grand jury for failing to report child abuse. The four are accused of waiting a month before notifying law enforcement of a student's complaint about a teacher's inappropriate touching. By the time police were called, six other students had come forward with similar stories. 

All four - Summit Middle School Principal Greg Guevara and Counselor Maureen Flannagan, and Summit County School District Human Resources Specialist Amanda Southern and former H.R. Director Dr. Grant Schmidt - face a single misdemeanor count of Failure to Report Child Abuse or Neglect. 

"Grant and I have shared some personal experiences of being accused of something that didn't happen, and it's horrifying."

The one-month delay violates Colorado state statutes on mandatory reporting. The law requires immediate reporting of such incidents. However, current state law does not define what length of time constitutes "immediate," and efforts are underway to review the mandatory process and improve the uniformity of training.   

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According to the indictment in the case, Principal Guevara and Counselor Flannagan held off immediately reporting the complaints in order to substantiate the claims. Later, H.R. Specialist Southern and former Director Schmidt delayed notifying law enforcement in an effort to protect the teacher from negatively publicity - something they claimed to have relevant history with.

"Grant (Schmidt) and I have shared some personal experiences of being accused of something that didn't happen," Southern told police investigators, "and it's horrifying."

"That's a part of why we made the decision (not to call police) as we got into it," Schmidt told investigators. "We don't call the police right away, unless it's so doggone obvious." 

The first complaint was made to Flannagan in late September of 2021, according to the indictment. The female student described how physical education teacher Leonard Grams touched her breast during an exercise called a "high five frenzy." 

Flannagan and Principal Guevara interviewed the female student, spoke with her parents and then spoke with the accused teacher, Grams.  

Guevara did not have the female student undergo a forensic interview, as was suggested to him, according to the indictment (who made that recommendation is not explained).  

Guevara eventually closed his investigation into the claims as 'inconclusive.' 

Two weeks later, two more students came forward with similar claims. One student described two incidents of inappropriate touching by Grams. She alleged Grams came up behind her during a wall climb exercise and press his body against hers. This student also described preparing for a climbing activity in which Grams approached her and allegedly touched her buttocks and "everywhere but the harness." 

The school district's H.R. department initiated its own investigation following the second and third students' claims. Schmidt and Flannagan interviewed the students twice and Grams twice. Grams, denied the allegations. 

H.R.'s investigation was closed after two days, the allegations judged to be not credible.      

Then, three more students stepped forward between Oct. 17 and Oct. 23 with stories of inappropriate touching or uncomfortable encounters with Grams. A seventh student reported the same by the end of the Oct. 24. 

Summit County Middle School contacted the Summit County Sheriff's Office about the allegations on Oct. 27, according to the indictment. 

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The sheriff's office investigation took almost a year. After a warrant was issued, Grams turned himself in on Aug. 9, 2022. He bonded out the same day, pay $25,000 for his release. 

Grams faces eight felony counts of Sexual Assault on a Child. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and is scheduled to go to trial April 26.    

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Meanwhile, the grand jury - looking into the actions of the principal, counselor and two district staffers - reached its judgement on Feb. 23. Within 24 hours, all four defendants had turned themselves in to law enforcement, according to a press release from the 5th Judicial District Attorney's Office. 

All four were released on $500 personal recognizance bonds. They have court dates scheduled in Summit County in the week prior to Grams's trial.