Douglas County School Board Meets Amid Rising Tension, Search For New Superintendent Begins
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - As the search for a new superintendent begins, the climate in the Douglas County School District is not cooling down.
"There's just this constant attacking going on and questioning of what we are doing," said Meg Gray, a teacher at Legend High School.
On Wednesday, Gray said her students found inflammatory flyers on several cars in the staff parking lot. The flyers read, "Most Teachers Are Good And We Appreciate Them! You are bad! Get out and leave!" as well as "We Approve The Curriculum, NOT YOU, NOT the Teachers Unions [sic]." They were only found on cars that had pro-teacher messages painted on them, Gray said.
A spokesperson for DCSD said 3 flyers were left on vehicles at Legend and 3 were left on vehicles at Iron Horse Elementary. District security and law enforcement partners are looking into the incident.
At this point, it's unclear who is behind them.
"I worry that our board is setting a precedent and they are encouraging rhetoric that is creating this hostile environment," Gray said.
The incident comes as the district was preparing to release a list of teachers who were absent Feb. 3, following an open records request from an unknown community member. On that day, more than 1,000 staff members called out sick and protested in Castle Rock.
"They'll share it in whatever format they want to, and I don't really see the point of that unless you want to intimidate and scare teachers," said one teacher who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
At Wednesday night's meeting, Board President Mike Peterson said the district will not be releasing the names. He later called reports of flyers being left on staff members' cars "upsetting."
"This is no way to move forward as a district," Peterson said. "Our teachers should be respected and reported for the work they do for our students every day and we hope the community can come together in support of our teachers."
Still, some like Meg Gray fear the damage is already done. She's expecting "intense turnover" if the climate in the district doesn't change soon.
"We have no reason to stay, no attachment to stay if we are not working in a climate that feels dedicated to also putting us first," she said. "Why can it not be everyone? Why is it just kids, just parents?"
"Your kids are ultimately going to still suffer because you're pushing us out."
