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Two Denver school board members accused of policy violations are demanding an independent investigation into the allegations, which include that one of them used antisemitic language.
Board Vice President Monica Hunter and member DJ Torres sent a letter Friday to the school board president, Denver Public Schools’ superintendent, and the district’s attorney asking that the board hold off on taking any action until an investigation is complete.
After an initial discussion about the allegations Wednesday, board President Xóchitl Gaytán had said the board would discuss the accusations again — and possibly vote on whether to censure Hunter and Torres — at a meeting on Sept. 17.
Whether the board will order an investigation was unclear Friday. A Denver Public Schools spokesperson directed questions to Gaytán, who said it would be up to the board to decide. A majority of board members would need to agree to it.
In their letter, Hunter and Torres said the investigation should look into the process used to develop and advance the allegations, including who initiated and supported them and whether district staff helped, in addition to the allegations themselves.
“I think an independent investigation is necessary both for us to clear our names and to maintain the integrity of the DPS board,” Torres said in an interview Friday. “What has been missing up to this point in this process is any sort of foundation of legitimacy.”
Torres is accused of repeatedly missing board and committee meetings, providing only “limited” reporting on board expenses in his role as treasurer, and not attending a board-related conference in Canada after the district paid for it. Torres said he paid most expenses back.
Hunter is accused of allegedly using derogatory language directed at “a colleague’s Jewish identity and/or perceived political identity,” disparaging other board members in a social media post, failing to review the superintendent’s weekly email to the board, and speaking to district employees in the school choice office to advocate for her family and another.
Hunter and Torres are also accused of refusing to speak with Gaytán by phone and allegedly giving a “possible unauthorized directive” to Superintendent Alex Marrero to recognize a labor union of district employees, among other allegations.
Hunter and Torres have said the allegations are baseless and exaggerated.
“I am saddened that interpersonal conflicts continue to dominate this school board,” Hunter said on Friday. “I look forward to a full, transparent investigation.”
Board member John Youngquist said he supports ordering an investigation. Other board members didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Friday or said they hadn’t yet read the letter from Hunter and Torres demanding the investigation.
Youngquist was the subject of a board investigation and censure last year. The board ordered that investigation after meeting in a closed-door session to receive legal advice on how to respond to allegations by Marrero about Youngquist’s behavior toward DPS staff of color. The investigation found that Youngquist likely exhibited bias but did not conclude that it was deliberate.
Before Youngquist, the last Denver school board member to be censured was Auon’tai Anderson in 2021. That censure also came after a board-directed investigation, which found that the most serious allegations against Anderson could not be substantiated.
Gaytán moved to censure Anderson a second time in 2023 for allegedly disclosing confidential information to the press, but that effort was not successful.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
