School District Emails Show Delayed Response to Racist Behavior at Colorado Football Games

Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) placed Lutheran High School on probation nearly two weeks after reports of racist behavior surfaced at its football games. Emails obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act request show that district administrators spent days debating how to process the complaints before state officials stepped in. The records come from Districts 11, 20, and 49, while CHSAA remains a private nonprofit exempt from the records law.

Initial reports of alleged incidents involved students from Sand Creek High School in District 49 and Rampart High School in Academy District 20. Two other Colorado Springs schools, Air Academy High School and Coronado High School, later forfeited their games against Lutheran. A Douglas County School District email noted that initial reports may have involved public school students, even though the incident occurred off-campus.

An email from the district stated that it does not tolerate a hostile environment within its schools. Douglas County later told reporters that a thorough investigation found none of its students involved. The district said it remains focused on ensuring students treat others with dignity and respect while investigating allegations based on facts.

Sand Creek High School Athletic Director Mario Romero wrote to CHSAA the day after the incident. He called his interaction with Lutheran concerning and detailed his frustrations with how the private school handled the situation. CHSAA responded by saying it did not have a specific protocol because most situations are handled between schools. The organization stated it was forwarding Romero's email to its administrative team.

CHSAA told News5 Investigates that its bylaws make the host school responsible for managing the conduct of everyone at its events. The organization cited Bylaws 2240 and 2270.1 as the basis for its determination regarding Lutheran. CHSAA clarified that it is not an investigative agency and instead evaluates reports provided by schools and districts.

District 49 declined to comment on the story. News5 Investigates followed up with CHSAA to ask why its process relies on member schools to investigate incidents first. The organization has not yet answered whether it is reviewing the effectiveness of that process.

CHSAA placed Lutheran on probation following the reports. The state governing body said it evaluates reports provided by schools and districts to determine if bylaws were violated.