Parents Say Hazing Led To Criminal Charge, Discipline For Chatfield Senior High School Officials

By Brain Maass and Kati Weis, CBS Denver:

(CBS4) – Multiple parents of students in the Jefferson County School District have told CBS4 that a form of hazing led to a criminal charge against the athletic director of Chatfield Senior High School for failing to report child abuse or neglect. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Chatfield Athletic Director Craig Aukland, 40, was cited for the misdemeanor charge on Aug. 27 because he is a mandatory reporter under state law.

The summons and complaint obtained by CBS4 says the alleged incident in question took place at Chatfield Senior High School on July 26. A school district spokesperson told CBS4 that “the situation centers on an event for a private baseball team of students who recently completed middle school.” The spokesperson acknowledged Aukland had a direct relation to one of the accused students.

Whatever led to the charge against Aukland, and the administrative leave for Chatfield Principal Chad Broer, has been kept secret and has left parents wondering. Several say their understanding is that the alleged incident involved student hazing.

Read more at CBS Denver

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