An independent investigation found Board of Education member John Youngquist exhibited “belittling, dismissive and condescending behavior” toward Denver Public Schools employees, and that he showed biases when interacting with staff of color, according to a report released Monday.
Despite those findings, the report stated that the investigation was unable to determine whether Youngquist deliberately discriminated against DPS employees, stating that there was no evidence that the school board member showed overt racism toward staff, such as the use of slurs.
“We are unable to reach a conclusion as to whether Mr. Youngquist deliberately acted in a biased manner towards some district leaders of color based on the available evidence,” wrote attorneys David D. Powell Jr. and Sara R. Bodner with the Denver-based firm Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow and Farbes.
The attorneys were hired by the school board in June to investigate Superintendent Alex Marrero’s allegations against Younguist, a probe that cost at least $78,045 as of Oct. 10, according to invoices reviewed by The Denver Post.
Youngquist said in a statement Monday that his attorney sent a letter to the investigators “articulating our concerns about the investigation and the context on why it was being conducted.”
Read the full story from our partners at The Denver Post.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.