Days before the Nov. 5 election, the La Plata County Republican Central Committee sent out an email calling for the resignation of all five members of the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education, and for board member Katie Stewart to withdraw from the race in House District 59.
The email, without evidence, linked the alleged crimes of a former teacher who has been charged with coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of sexually explicit images of children with the school board’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging policy and the presence of LGBTQ+ pride flags in schools.
“The State Republican Party stands firmly for the protection of our children and fully supports the La Plata County GOP’s call for Katie Stewart, a candidate for Colorado House District 59, to withdraw from the race due to her support of policies that compromised student safety,” the Colorado GOP wrote in an email to its members.
Stewart, a Democrat, did not pull out of the race and bested her Republican opponent by 2.4% – just 1,295 votes. None of the members of the board of directors has indicated they would resign.
Benjamin Smith, a former middle school teacher in Durango, was arrested in July after he allegedly approached a 16-year-old boy online and offered to engage in sexual acts before arranging an in-person meetup.
The GOP took aim at Stewart almost immediately.
At a meeting of the La Plata County GOP on Aug. 6, Britny Hanson, speaking for the party’s communication team, drew a straight line from Smith’s hiring to the District’s DEIB policy.
“They’re concerned about fulfilling that DEI and that everybody belongs, even pedophiles,” Hansen said at the meeting.
The La Plata County GOP’s Nov. 2 email said Smith, a 28-year-old white-presenting male of unspecified sexual orientation, “embraced DEI policy and used it to his advantage.”
The email also sought to link Smith’s alleged crimes to a recent debate about whether an iteration of the LGBTQ+ pride flag should be allowed in schools. In the email, party leaders said “Ben Smith was hired and allowed to build a trusting relationship with our children, under the guide of what the pride flag has to offer,” and alleged that he used the flags as a means of “enticing children into his safe space.”
However, the connection between Smith and the district’s DEIB policy or stance on the pride flag remains tenuous.
Hope Scheppelman, who serves as secretary of the county party and vice chairwoman of the state party, said Smith used the DEIB policy “to his advantage by grooming students, staff, and parents.” She was speaking in her capacity as vice chairwoman of the state party in an email to The Durango Herald.
When asked what specific elements of the DEIB policy Smith used, or how specifically he used it, Scheppelman stopped responding.
Dave Peters, chairman of the county party, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The 9-R strategic plan for the implementation of the DEIB policy contains no reference to hiring practices.
In a Nov. 4 written statement responding to the Nov. 2 email, 9-R spokeswoman Karla Sluis emphasized the district’s commitment to protecting students, noting the extensive background checks to which staff members are subjected.
“Durango School District is unwavering in its commitment to student safety, inclusion, and educational excellence,” Sluis wrote. “We prioritize creating a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for every student, and we have zero tolerance for misconduct of any kind. Our goal is to foster a learning environment where every student feels protected and empowered to succeed.”
Smith’s resume and cover letter, obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act request, contain no mention of DEIB policy or any status as a protected class.
In an interview Wednesday, Sluis chalked up the party’s attempts to connect Smith’s alleged crimes with DEIB policy to a misunderstanding of the policy in a volatile political climate. She called the attempt to connect Smith to the debate over flags an “unfair accusation.”
She urged parents to attend the Monday’s Cyber-Safe Kids event that will feature a Durango Police Department detective who has worked on the Smith case and informational guidance on how to keep kids safe online. The talk will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Impact Career Innovation Center on the Durango High School campus.
And, she added, it would be preferable for the GOP party to request a meeting with the board before calling on the members to resign publicly.
“I think it would be really nice for everybody to just sit around a table and get to know each other as humans before demanding that the hard work that our board does be dismissed in the form of ‘they just need to step down,’” she said. “We all need to treat each other in a more human and compassionate way.”
rschafir@durangoherald.com
