AURORA | Newly elected Cherry Creek schools board member Terry Bates was forced to resign Friday, linked to what fellow school board members said was Bates making recent “racialized” remarks, according to school district officials.
“As elected leaders serving the Cherry Creek Schools community, we have a responsibility to respect the district’s values, uphold district policies, and act with the utmost professionalism,” school board members said in a statement issued Friday night. “When a member’s actions fall short of board policy and those values, we must address it directly and stand for what is right. As a Board, we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”
Neither board members, school officials nor Bates detailed what the remarks were. School board members said only that they were “inappropriate” and that school board members had proof he had made similar remarks before being elected last November.
Bates won his District D race against challenger Amanda Thayer. He won the board seat held previously by his wife, Kelly Bates, who was term-limited.
“We cannot overlook these actions. For that reason, we join together in accepting his resignation from the board,” members said in their statement.
The school board met Friday in closed session, and Bates resigned without comment immediately following, school officials told the Denver Post.
“We have credible information that Board Director Terry Bates made racialized remarks that were unacceptable and inconsistent with our values,” board members said in a statement. “In addition, others reported concerning interactions. To protect the privacy of individuals involved, we will not release details about this matter.”
The latest tumult for the district follows the resignation of the district’s superintendent and other key school district officials.
The Cherry Creek School District Board of Education approved in February what they termed as policy reforms and an external audit following the sudden resignation of Superintendent Christopher Smith and the placement of the district’s chief human resources officer, his wife, Brenda Smith, on administrative leave.
“This is a difficult and emotional moment for our district and our broader community,” Cherry Creek Board Director Angela Garland said during a February school board meeting. “The departure of Superintendent Chris Smith and the placement of our human resources director on lead has stirred a wide range of emotions. For some, there is relief, perhaps even a sense of vindication. For others, there is grief, confusion and a real sense of loss. I have had conversations with people on both sides, and I want to be clear, both experiences are real and both deserve to be acknowledged.”
Smith’s resignation came amid media scrutiny stemming from a Denver 7 News investigation in which district employees described what they characterized as a toxic work environment. Sources for the 7 News report also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest because Smith and the district’s chief human resources officer are married.
Smith is the subject of allegations that he was linked to outside consultants awarded large school district contracts.
District officials have said Smith’s resignation was unrelated to the television reports.
“The decision to review District policies and freeze certain travel and contracts is a result of concerns being raised about the decisions and actions of former Superintendent Smith and Brenda Smith,” Board President Anne Egan said.
School officials did not detail how the school district plans to fill the vacancy created by Bates’ sudden resignation.