Editorial: Tay Anderson should be censured and must earn back trust

After a period of inquiry, investigators hired by Denver Public Schools could not substantiate rape allegations against schoolhouse committee subordinate Tay Anderson. In the end, not a azygous unfortunate came forward.

However, the 96-page investigation released Wednesday by the Denver Public School Board recovered Anderson had precocious had backstage conversations via societal media and substance messages with 2 precocious schoolhouse seniors. In 1 case, Anderson aggressively pursued dates with a 17-year-old from a precocious schoolhouse successful Douglas County. She described her discomfort with the advances to investigators. In the other, the messages amusement helium flirted with a 16-year-old who refused to beryllium interviewed.

Anderson, who cooperated afloat with investigators, admitted to some conversations and said helium stopped talking to the 16-year-old aft helium learned her property via societal media.

This is unacceptable behaviour from immoderate 23-year-old, and it’s egregious for a idiosyncratic successful a trusted presumption of powerfulness and authorization implicit astir 92,000 students successful Denver Public Schools.

Additionally, the probe recovered Anderson much apt than not made “two societal media posts during the probe that were coercive and intimidating toward witnesses.”

We consciousness powerfully that the schoolhouse committee should ballot to censure Anderson connected Friday.

Until spot is regained, the committee should request that Anderson not interaction oregon pass with students — from immoderate schoolhouse territory — unless different big successful a presumption of authorization is present.

The schoolhouse district’s fig 1 occupation is to support students from harm.

Anderson has maintained his innocence from the precise opening and investigators questioned the credibility of a pistillate who made nationalist an allegation that she knew of much than 60 women who had accused Anderson of inappropriate intersexual behavior. The probe besides noted, however, that if immoderate different victims existed they whitethorn person been acrophobic to cooperate, including a pistillate who elaborate allegations to others astir Anderson raping her successful the parking store country astatine the downtown doughnut store wherever they worked together.

Anderson’s presumption connected a schoolhouse committee makes immoderate accusation of impropriety particularly damning. He’s not a person successful the authorities Capitol operating astir exclusively successful a satellite afloat of adults. Students are peculiarly vulnerable, and we’ve seen excessively galore times arsenic a nine however young victims are incapable to talk retired astir their trauma for years. The hazard is excessively ample for the committee not to instrumentality enactment based connected what they know.

The exchanges betwixt Anderson and the pupil were intelligibly flirtatious. Anderson asked the 16-year-old if she had her ain spot and wherever she worked. He asked her to thatch him to marque pizza. The astir nonstop flirtations were oculus emojis astatine a photograph and penning “Let’s beryllium friends lol.” She was a pupil successful the territory Anderson is charged with overseeing.

With the different young woman, who was 17 astatine the clip and attended schoolhouse successful Douglas County, Anderson was acold much assertive successful pursuit of a romanticist relationship.

“I would accidental I unrecorded successful my parents [house] successful precocious school. He would effort to marque maine consciousness atrocious that I wouldn’t spell retired with him, a 20-something-year-old,” she told investigators. Most of the messages betwixt the 2 occurred successful Snapchat wherever they are deleted soon aft being sent and investigators were incapable to substantiate the nonstop contented of the messages.

Anderson confirmed talking with the pistillate and “acknowledged that helium was flirtatious with her” and had asked her to spell stargazing.

Anderson’s behaviour with these 2 women and his inappropriate, perchance threatening, societal media posts exemplify a blatant disregard for the responsibilities helium assumed erstwhile helium became a schoolhouse committee member. The voters who enactment him there, the radical helium represents, and the students whose champion involvement helium should person astatine bosom merit better.

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