West
Colorado school district in the hot seat for allegedly factoring in race for disciplinary procedures
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative, Trump-aligned legal group filed a civil rights complaint alleging that a school district in Colorado is using race as a major factor when determining disciplinary procedures and has retaliated against administrators who attempt to push back.
America First Legal (AFL), founded by top Trump advisor Stephen Miller, filed a civil rights complaint asking the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to investigate Cherry Creek School District, alleging it is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In its complaint, AFL cites a specific instance in which a Black student and an Asian student commit nearly identical behavior, but only the Asian student was disciplined.
AFL also obtained undercover recordings of discussions between administrators that allegedly show them admitting that the district’s DEI chief has been interfering with disciplinary procedures on the basis of race. When an administrator tried to step in and call out this allegedly racist activity, the official was retaliated against, according to AFL.
“If a public school district can openly run discipline and employment systems through a racial filter, then the rule of law means nothing,” said Nick Barry, senior counsel at America First Legal. “This is discrimination, plain and simple. It is the soft bigotry of low expectations and should not be tolerated. The Department must intervene and restore equal treatment for students, educators, and families.”
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT OVER ALLEGEDLY DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES
A Cherry Creek School District bus (John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the district for comment, but it declined to comment on the matter, telling Fox News Digital it could not say anything because the district had “no knowledge of” AFL’s civil rights complaint despite Fox News Digital transmitting a copy of the complaint to the district. AFL’s complaint was filed electronically with the federal government.
In late 2023, according to the complaint, the district’s Campus Middle School disciplined and suspended three female students after a video of them off campus over Thanksgiving break using variations of the N-word while under the influence of alcohol was submitted to the district. Two students, one White and one Hispanic, were allegedly depicted in the video using the racially charged language, while the third Asian female did not appear in the video and only recorded the encounter.
Meanwhile, a fourth Black female student at the middle school allegedly asked the Asian female student who recorded the encounter to send her the video, which the Black student then allegedly passed along to her sister, a Black student in the district’s high school, who, AFL said, subsequently posted the video on social media and tagged the White, Hispanic and Asian students’ social media accounts. The Black female student who passed the video to her Black sister also passed it to her mother, who then shared the video with the Rocky Mountain NAACP, according to the complaint.
Despite nearly identical behavior from the Asian female student and the Black female students in the district, only the Asian student was disciplined, AFL alleged. She got the same punishment as the two female students pictured in the video using inappropriate language, which included months of expulsion hearings that eventually culminated in her suspension from school, according to AFL.
“[The Black students involved] disseminated the video to a much broader audience than [the Asian student involved],” AFL’s complaint states. “Despite both [Black female students involved] engaging in materially identical conduct as [the Asian female student involved], the District did not impose any discipline. … After [the Black female students’] identical infractions came to light, former Campus Assistant Principal Dan Hanson instructed personnel not to address the matter in electronic communications due to concerns about public records requests and adverse publicity.”
LEAKED LESSONS FROM FIRST-YEAR UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EDUCATION COURSE SHOW EXTREME LEFT BIAS: ‘JUST SO WRONG’
According to AFL’s complaint, one of the non-disciplined Black female students continued to exhibit behavioral issues, and undercover recordings it obtained involving discussions between district administrators show Campus Middle School officials admitting the district’s Equity Department interferes with the equal application of disciplinary policies.
Protesters in Michigan rally against President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI policies, denouncing federal rollbacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. (Getty Images/Dominic Gwinn)
“[T]heir first instinct is implicit bias. So if, for example, [Redacted] is not responding appropriately to [the Black female student’s] concerns, it’s because [Redacted] has implicit bias towards a Black young lady, and that she does not know how to navigate the cultural identity of a Black young lady and that [Black female student involved] is talking to her like [she] talks to anybody,” Campus Middle School Principal Lissa Staal can allegedly be heard saying during a meeting with school leaders.
“This is just how [the Black female student involved] communicates. And that is culturally appropriate for [the Black female student involved] to communicate that way because that’s what is culturally appropriate,” Staal continued. “And that’s what is happening is that the Whiteness that is present in our building is looking at that in a punitive way … that we are attributing negative connotations to what is essentially, exactly, we’re calling her disrespectful or disruptive or defiant when she is just communicating in a culturally appropriate way.”
According to AFL’s complaint, school personnel said they had “no ability to enforce anything” against the Black female student who was continuing to act out because they would “lose every time,” since their “hands were tied” by the district’s DEI department.
The district also allegedly retaliated against former Dean of Students Pat Hogarty when he voiced disagreement with the district’s DEI priorities, according to AFL’s complaint.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“In January 2024, Mr. Hogarty took part in the Courageous Conversations training. When faced with the topics of ‘What does it mean to be White?’ ‘What experiences define Whiteness?’ and ‘How do you identify?’ Mr. Hogarty stated that ‘he identifies as an American, that he loves his country, and that he believes it is the greatest country ever founded,’” AFL’s complaint states.
“Shortly after the training, Principal Staal informed Mr. Hogarty that the Equity Department’s Executive Director, Mr. Garcia y Ortiz, took issue with Mr. Hogarty’s failure to ‘acknowledge what people of color go through’ and refusal to ‘admit that America is systemically racist.’ Mr. Hogarty later learned that Garcia y Ortiz had referred to Mr.Hogarty’s comments in the training as having ‘racist undertones.’ Approximately a month later, Mr. Hogarty was informed that his position had been eliminated due to ‘budgetary reasons.’”
Due to the Cherry Creek School District receiving federal funds, it is subject to discrimination guidelines under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. AFL has requested that the Education and Justice departments investigate the matter further and implement any necessary remedial action or referrals to enforce federal civil rights law.
Read the full article from Here
San Francisco, CA
Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.
The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.
Community heartbroken
Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.
“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.
“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.
The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.
Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.
Traffic intensifies
Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.
“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.
“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.
On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.
“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.
Denver, CO
Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply
Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification.
It’s the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.
It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior.
The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order “legally illiterate,” adding, “no local official has the authority to bar ICE from carrying out federal law on public property … and while Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals.”
DHS didn’t mince words when responding to Denver’s new face coverings ban either, saying in part, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a city council’s unconstitutional ban. Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.”
On the other hand, the Denver City Council didn’t mince words when it approved the ban.
“It’s very disturbing to me, as an American, to see masked agents on the street,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn who represents District 2. “I don’t know what the best way is to enforce our immigration laws, but I think I know the worst way when I see it.”
“I said all along, this was a slam dunk,” added Councilman Darrell Watson of District 9.
Last month, a federal judge struck down a California law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. But, the city council says it made sure its ordinance is enforceable.
You have to treat all law enforcement the same,” said City Council President Amanda Sandoval. “So, our sheriffs can’t have masks. Our State Patrol can’t have masks. And federally you can’t have masks. And we delineate that within the ordinance which, that’s where California got the issue.”
Sandoval said she was monitoring the legal process and comparing the two ordinances to ensure they would be good to go.
Although the city council believes the ordinance is constitutional, the Denver Police Department says it’s still working to determine what implementation could look like, and provided this statement to CBS Colorado:
“Our Safety departments are working with the City Attorney and bill sponsors to determine what implementation could look like. Of utmost importance is discretion and prioritizing de-escalation when encountering these situations. Our goal is to apply this ordinance in a way that builds trust and transparency without putting officers, deputies, or the public at risk.”
Coupled with the city’s new executive order, Sandoval believes Denver now has the necessary guidelines in place.
“A map for residents to understand predictability, and that’s what I always want, is what can the residents be able to rely on.”
There are exemptions in place for the ban, for example: during an active undercover operation, when gear is required for physical safety, and for personnel performing SWAT duties.
Seattle, WA
Joey Daccord makes 35 saves as Seattle Kraken earn 2-1 win over Hurricanes
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 02: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during the second period of a game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Joey Daccord made 35 saves and the Seattle Kraken survived a 6-on-4 penalty kill for the final 90 seconds for a 2-1 victory over the East’s top team in the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.
Kaapo Kakko and Ben Meyers each scored in the second period for the Kraken as they managed to beat a Hurricanes team that has the second-best record in the NHL, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken are now in a playoff spot by five points as they hold the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division with 22 games to play.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored the only goal of the night for the Hurricanes late in the second period, but Seattle was able to withstand Carolina’s offensive push in the final period to secure a second straight victory.
The Hurricanes are always a high-volume shooting team and Daccord faced plenty of chances. Carolina had 83 shot attempts to just 31 for the Kraken. Shots on goal were 36-15 in favor of the Hurricanes as well, but scoring chances were just 20-13 in Carolina’s favor as Seattle did a good job limiting the danger of the shots sent at Daccord.
It was an eventful but scoreless first period between the two teams, with Carolina owning a 13-7 edge in shots. All three goals would come in the second.
Adam Larsson – who assisted on both goals for Seattle – deflected an Alexander Nikishin into the neutral zone to start a two-on-one rush chance for Kakko with Berkly Catton in support as Kakko ripped a shot through the armpit of Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen for a 1-0 lead.
Kakko said he wanted to make the pass to Catton, but the lane was covered by Shane Ghostisbehere, so he elected to shoot.
The Kraken earned a power play chance three minutes later on a tripping call against Eric Robinson. Carolina completely neutered the man-advantage for the first 90 seconds before the Kraken appeared to extend the lead.
With 15 seconds left on the power play, the Kraken rushed into the Hurricanes’ zone with Kakko finding a streaking Jaden Schwartz open on the back door for an easy finish behind Andersen. However, Carolina successfully challenged the goal for a missed offsides on Shane Wright that wiped out the goal.
But the Kraken still managed to extend the lead soon after.
Jacob Melanson continues to be a spark plug for Seattle and helped restore the momentum immediately after the disallowed goal. On the shift coming out of the power play, Melanson delivered a big hit and connected with Adam Larsson on a breakout pass that sparked a rush. Ben Meyers crashed toward the net and was able to finish off his own rebound on a pass from Freddy Gaudreau to officially make it a 2-0 lead.
Melanson didn’t even get an assist out of the sequence, but was a big part of creating a goal for Seattle.
After being extremely sharp defensively all night, Carolina finally pounced on an opportunity the Kraken were unable to turn away. Vince Dunn was just unable to control a loose puck in front of Seattle’s net as it landed on the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers instead, who snapped a shot past Daccord to make it a 2-1 game with 90 seconds left in the second period.
The Hurricanes took 32 shots in the third period as they attempted to find a tying goal, but only nine made it to Daccord, and he stopped them all.
Eeli Tolvanen was called for Seattle’s first and only penalty of the night – a holding call after breaking his stick – with 90 seconds left to play. With Andersen on the bench for a six-on-four chance for Carolina, Daccord stopped all three shots he faced to close out the win for Seattle.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE KRAKEN NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Jordan Eberle scores twice as Seattle Kraken roll to 5-1 win over Canucks
Dylan Holloway scores hat trick as Seattle Kraken lose 5-1 to Blues
Seattle Kraken flounder to 4-1 loss to Stars in return from Olympics break
Seattle Kraken reach two-year extensions with Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton
Shane Wright scores twice as Seattle Kraken beat Kings 4-2
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
-
World5 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts6 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO6 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon4 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Technology1 week agoArturia’s FX Collection 6 adds two new effects and a $99 intro version
-
News1 week agoVideo: How Lunar New Year Traditions Take Root Across America
-
Florida2 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days