COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — The State Board of Education removed the Adams County School District 14’s accreditation status after it received two of the lowest ratings in the state’s accountability system.
The district had been under external management for four years, but still there are problems. A major reorganization will now take place.
A spokesperson told FOX31 the district thought it was making required and necessary changes for improvement.
“Then arbitrarily, out of nowhere, the state board changed the rules of the game setting up conditions to justify punishments that neither serve the interest of the district nor its students,” Adams School District 14 Communications Executive Director Robert Lundin said.
Adams 14 said it was following guidelines set by the state to improve academic performance and test scores. A new superintendent was even hired.
“Our superintendent has worked in some of the most challenging school districts in America, and has boosted results for its most vulnerable populations time after time,” Lundin said.
Adams 14 said removing accreditation unfairly targets children of color, second-language learners and underserved communities.
Many of the district’s schools are in Commerce City, a predominantly Latinx community.
One parent said he’s afraid his child’s home school will be changed under a new reorganization plan. Another said there is fear of what happens next.
“We have meetings sometimes but we don’t get on time that information and about what is going to be,” Nestor Martinez said.
The district said no decisions about making changes have been made. All the schools in Adams 14 will stay open during the reorganization process.
At some point, there will be public hearings on proposed changes and a public vote on the plan with proposed changes. This process is expected to take at least a year.