When Accountability Becomes the Enemy: A Four-Part Investigation
In Colorado’s worst-performing school district, where 87% of children can’t read at grade level, the school board found its most urgent priority: silencing a critic.
This investigative series examines how Adams County School District 14—ranked last among Colorado’s 115 districts—allegedly weaponized false accusations of racism and physical assault to ban a city councilman from public meetings. The offense that triggered this campaign? Questioning a principal’s qualifications using publicly available information.
According to court documents, witness testimonies, and deleted video evidence, the district allegedly transformed legitimate oversight into “attacking women of color,” and orchestrated a three-year ban of its critic—all while failing to ensure basic literacy. In the process, the First Amendment may have become collateral damage in a district more focused on self-protection than student outcomes.
The story that emerges isn’t just about one meeting that went wrong. It’s about what happens when those entrusted with children’s futures decide that protecting themselves matters more than protecting education.
Part 1: The Worst District in Colorado
Part 2: The Meeting That Never Should Have Happened
Part 3: When Government Demands You Take It Back
Part 4: The Price of Fighting Back
Based on federal court filings, public records, and witness statements from Adams County School District 14’s April 16, 2025 meeting.
First installment publishes Friday, October 17.