Cherry Creek schools has had a telling moment, and it bodes well for the district, teachers, staff, parents, the community, but most of all, the students.
The last school year exposed not only a world of ugly sex assaults against students in Cherry Creek schools, but a troubled system from the top of the school district down that revealed to the public some but not all incidents of assault.
Cherry Creek officials last week told the Sentinel they had met over the summer with a group of experts and law enforcement, getting advice on what they could and should do in regards to handling and divulging allegations and instances of sex assault.
Although the story put Cherry Creek schools in the headlines for months, it was clear from a series of Sentinel stories that there are no more incidents of sex assault involving students attending Cherry Creek schools than any other metro school district.
In most cases, the school district has handled the incidents promptly and in the best interests of the students involved.
That was the case in how the district handled the assault of a student being lured and assaulted by Broderick Jerrod Lundie, 29, a Grandview High School, non-teaching employee at the school.
After the assault was made public, it became clear school officials called in police and then addressed Lundie’s job.
The case came to the attention of the public only because it was rooted out after a separate spate of sex-assault accusations at Prairie Middle School, which was made public by police and school officials.
Brian Vasquez, a former teacher at Prairie Middle School, pleaded guilty earlier this year to multiple sexual assault charges against minors, Sentinel writers reported during the last few months.
That investigation exposed a serious problem at that school, where staffers previously did not go to police with allegations against Vasquez.
Prairie Principal David Gonzales and Assistant Principal Adrienne “A.J.” MacIntosh face charges with failure to report accusations against Vasquez.
Gonzales and MacIntosh conducted their own “investigation,” wrongly concluding that a student’s allegations against Vasquez were unfounded.
The story gets worse. On their own volition, and apparently without school district administrators knowing it, Gonzales and MacIntosh forced the teenage victim to recant her allegations against Vasquez, and apologize to him, even though he had actually assaulted her. The ghastly mistakes ultimately led to her suspension.
The damage these school officials did to the victim, the school and the community are immeasurable.
The lesson taught and apparently learned is, do tell. Tell the cops. Tell the parents. Tell the community. Every single time.
There is no question had that been the policy before, the girl might not have been molested, and subsequent girls might never have become Vasquez’ victims.
It’s clear Cherry Creek schools is now implementing new training, regulations and procedures to ensure no school district employee or official would be in a position to harm another student or investigation in a similar way. And school district officials now have a protocol that requires the community be notified about allegations when police determine disclosure won’t jeopardize and investigation.
It’s tragic that it took circumstances like these to bring about common-sense changes, but Cherry Creek officials should be lauded for immediately addressing the missteps and making changes to ensure the safety of students and the entire community. Parents yield unparalleled control of their children to schools, and they must have complete faith built on trust. Cherry Creek schools can now regain that trust by adhering to a policy that reveals unsavory incidents like this and other issues that threaten students.