Tay Anderson To Resume Denver School Board Duties

By Erica Meltzer

July 14, 2021

Denver school board member Tay Anderson is returning to his school board duties before the conclusion of an investigation into anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct, he wrote in a letter posted Wednesday to social media and shared with his board colleagues.

Anderson said his return to work is “effective immediately,” though board meetings do not resume until August.

In May, Anderson said he would step back from “everyday” school board responsibilities until the outside investigation concluded. In June, Anderson voted on Denver’s new superintendent.

In the letter, Anderson said the timeline and scope of the independent investigation have been extended several times, and he could no longer wait for the results. Anderson has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual assault.

“Although I remain committed to engaging in a transparent and fair process, I can no longer wait for this process to conclude to initiate my return to serving the families of the Denver Public Schools,” Anderson wrote.

“The independent investigation has bogged down, drifted into new areas, and dragged well past the timeline that was agreed to,” Anderson continued. “No credible evidence has emerged to support any allegations of sexual misconduct by me. I have not been arrested, charged, or even contacted by any law enforcement agency regarding any of these false claims against me. And, more than anything, our DPS community has been fractured by these false allegations, and I am left compelled to try and heal the divisions which this situation has caused.”

Anderson said he was originally told the investigation would take 30 days. However, in announcing the investigation in April, the school board did not put a time frame on it. Nor did they explicitly limit the investigation to one allegation.

A district spokesperson said the board expects the findings from Investigations Law Group “by the end of the summer at the latest.”

In an unsigned statement released Wednesday in response to Anderson’s letter, Denver school board members said they agreed with the importance of completing the investigation. They noted that they are not dictating the pace of the investigation or whether Anderson participates in school board meetings.

“One of the reasons that the board launched this investigation was because, consistent with our values, we believed a young Black man deserved due process and a fair evaluation of anonymous allegations that were made on social media,” the board wrote. “We hired independent, neutral, and trained investigators to review these claims. Because they are independent, it is not our role to tell them to shut down their investigation early, before they believe they have gathered and reviewed all available evidence.

“It’s also important to note that the board does not have authority to suspend Director Anderson from his duties. Director Anderson voluntarily agreed to step back from his duties during the remainder of the investigation. The board has taken no action that would prevent him from attending and participating in all the board meetings in August.”

The Denver school board hired Investigations Law Group in April after the group Black Lives Matter 5280 said that a woman told group leaders Anderson had sexually assaulted her. The woman has remained anonymous, and Chalkbeat has not been able to independently verify or disprove her claims.

Separately, members of the youth anti-gun violence group Never Again Colorado have said that Anderson made frequent sexual comments and dared them to perform sexualized actions when he was president of the group in 2018. Anderson has since apologized for inappropriate comments he made to other Never Again members.

Chalkbeat reported that the Denver Classroom Teachers Association received anonymous allegations about Anderson in 2019 related to his time at Never Again. Union leaders said the allegations were “not verifiable,” and they did not investigate them before endorsing Anderson for the school board.

Additionally, Denver parent Mary Katherine Brooks Fleming testified before a legislative committee that a man associated with Denver Public Schools was preying on undocumented girls and young women. She did not name Anderson — though school board members later announced they were aware Anderson was the subject of the allegations.

Brooks Fleming did not provide evidence, and no one has come forward publicly to say that Anderson assaulted them.

Those who wish to provide information for the investigation may write to interviews@ilgdenver.com.