Former Cherry Creek School Board member Terry Bates asked a Latino family if they “used a coyote” when immigrating to the U.S. at an event last month, according to complaints obtained by Denver7 Investigates.
Bates resigned from the school board on April 24 at a special meeting. Board President Anne Egan read a statement after the resignation, saying that the board had been made aware of “racialized remarks” that Bates had recently made, along with other inappropriate comments prior to his election.
▶ Watch Denver7 Investigates' Jennifer Kovaleski's report on what records show about those remarks
Through an open records request, Denver7 Investigates received three complaint emails that were sent to Cherry Creek Schools General Counsel Sonia McKenzie. The three emails are all dated April 20 and refer to an event where they were seated at a table near Bates.
The emails all state Bates struck up a conversation with a group and asked where they were from. When they said Mexico City, he stated that his housekeeper was from there and that she was like a member of the family.
Bates then asked how long they had been in the country. After they said 57 years, he asked if they had used a coyote — a slang term used for a person who helps people illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We were disgusted and appalled,” one of the emails said of the comments.
After Bates’ resignation, Denver7 Investigates requested all complaints made against Bates and was initially informed that these particular records were denied because they were related to a student. After pushing back and asking for the district to redact personal information, the district provided the redacted emails.
The district did not provide any comment for this story.
Denver7 Investigates took the emails to Latino Education Commission Chair Milo Marquez, who said he is unfortunately not surprised by comments such as this.
“I think it's unfair and inaccurate to assume that all Latinos are undocumented because that's just not the case,” he said. “I think it's unacceptable that an elected school board member would make these types of comments.”
Bates provided an emailed statement to Denver7 Investigates, that read:
“I was making small talk at our table and asked one of the individuals where they were from and he mentioned Mexico City. I told him that I love Mexico City and have been there more than 40 times. He indicated that he did or did not come over on a coyote and since I didn’t hear him completely, I asked him a clarifying question. I submitted an apology letter to the Board of Education and wanted to personally reach out to the individuals involved but was told the district already handled it.”
In his apology to the board, Bates said he was “truly sorry for the impact of my comment."
"I understand that what I said was inappropriate and offensive, regardless of my intent, and I regret putting the individual involved and this board in this position,” he said.
Bates was elected to the board in November 2025. His wife, Kelly Bates, preceded him in the same seat, serving two terms.
Marquez said his message to Bates would be: “I encourage you to be more informed, and I encourage you to become more educated on the history and the culture of the immigrants.”
