Academy School District 20
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Updated – March 15, 2024
Parents in Academy School District 20 (ASD20) are pressuring administrators and board members to eliminate LGBT reading materials from district libraries.
On March 8, 2024, The Gazette reported, “After months of concern by parents both in favor and against removing books from school libraries, [ASD20]’s board of education Thursday night explored expanding access to the district’s entire catalog to them.”
The Gazette continued, “Though typically used for students and faculty, [library and media specialist Carol] Bramschreiber presented [an] option for parents to view and access all library materials in the district available to students.”
Bramschreiber reportedly said the district’s goal “is to maintain consistent communication with parents and the district in addition to increasing parental choice.”
The School Board Watchlist received notification from an organization that monitors educational materials in ASD20. The organization, identified as Take Back Our Schools, reviewed several books that can be found in the district’s virtual library. Take Back Our Schools reviewed “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson and noted that the book “includes the ins and outs of gay sex.”
Take Back Our Schools posted the following comments in an email notification:
In January 2024, ASD20 made headlines after a student’s family sued the district, alleging their child was sexually assaulted on school grounds.
Fox 21 News said, “[ASD20] is currently facing a federal lawsuit and accusations of failing to protect one of its former fifth-grade students from sexual assault. The lawsuit, filed on January 24 by the parents of the former student, alleges that the school district violated Title IX regulations by not reporting the incident immediately and not taking sufficient measures to ensure the student’s safety.”
Fox 21 News continued, “On January 25, a fifth-grade boy allegedly groped another 11-year-old female classmate, at Woodmen-Roberts Elementary, while waiting in line for lunch. An incident that ultimately resulted in the boy being charged with two criminal counts, including charges of unlawful sexual conduct in juvenile criminal court.”
The source said the incident was also captured on video. Neither the video nor the lawsuit have been made available to the public. Although the victim immediately reported the assault, Fox 21 News said her parents were notified about “an incident at school but there was nothing to worry about.”
The male student was reportedly extradited to Wyoming to face charges in another school district where he sexually harassed students before being transferred to ASD20.
The School Board Watchlist will continue monitoring issues in Academy School District 20. Please send tips and information to [email protected].
Published – October 25, 2021
Academy School District 20 is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The district has 40 total schools in operation with over 26,600 students enrolled.
The district has faced an enormous amount of scrutiny due to allegations that a teacher from Chinook Trail Middle School has been taping masks to students’ mouths. Tom Gregory, Superintendent of Academy 20, sent a letter to the district discussing the allegations. Gregory said, “These are serious allegations that have charged a great deal of emotion and judgement. We cannot and should not jump to conclusions. We take these allegations seriously and are following policy and procedures to conduct an internal investigation that includes well over 100 initial and follow-up interviews. We must trust the process and respect all parties involved.”
A sixth grader sent her mother a picture of the mask taped to her face, which led to the student then sharing that teachers have been enforcing a policy that students will have their masks taped to their face if the mask goes below the students nose.
