A convicted felon recently charged with sexually assaulting a boy at a Lakewood recreational center has worked in at least two Denver Public School elementary buildings, officials confirmed Thursday.
In one of those schools, Michael David DiPalma was barred from teaching after-school classes after leaving the classroom with a small child to administer a spanking, according to a program coordinator.
The 31-year-old DiPalma was able to work at Steck and Bromwell elementary schools teaching enrichment classes, in part because DPS does not require criminal-background checks for contract instructors in volunteer programs.
Unlike requirements for regular district employees, Colorado law does not require schools to conduct state and national criminal-background checks for contract workers, which might have raised red flags concerning DiPalma.
DiPalma previously had been convicted of two counts of false imprisonment in Albuquerque in 2000 and served a three-year probation sentence, said Detective Dita Dow, the child-exploitation officer for the Albuquerque Police Department. He was originally charged with sexual assault on a child, kidnapping and other related charges. He moved to Colorado about a year ago.
He was charged Wednesday with kidnapping, child enticement, two counts of sexual assault by someone in a position of trust, unlawful sexual contact, and child abuse for a sexual assault in late July, where DiPalma allegedly took an 8-year-old boy outside the Lakewood Link Recreation Center, 1295 S. Reed St., after one of his classes.
DiPalma was arrested last week and released from the Jefferson County Jail on Monday on a $50,000 bond.
In May, he was barred from continuing to teach an after-school enrichment class offered by Computer Tots/Computer Explorers at Steck Elementary School, according to Diane Silverberg, coordinator for Steck’s after-school enrichment programs.
Since 1991, all Colorado school-district employees – licensed and nonlicensed, such as secretaries and janitors – are put through both state and national background checks, according to state law.
But districts have discretion over what to do with school volunteers and contractors, said Eric Yoder, an investigator with the Colorado Department of Education.
And how districts treat that discretion varies widely, even across the metro area’s largest districts.
Cherry Creek Schools doesn’t do background checks on any volunteers or contractors but puts these workers under “direct supervision” of licensed employees.
In Jefferson County, individual schools make the decisions about how they check out volunteers and contractors, said district spokeswoman Lynn Setzer. Most of the time, they look at references only and don’t complete state or federal background checks, she said.
DPS’ policy may be reviewed in light of this case, spokesman Andre Pettigrew said Thursday. The district’s procedures angered one parent whose child was in one of DiPalma’s classes at Bromwell.
District officials are investigating how many schools DiPalma worked at and whether there were any complaints, Pettigrew said. Pettigrew said the district will take every necessary precaution to safeguard children.
Steck principal Chuck Raisch confirmed the basics of the spanking-threat incident. Raisch said DiPalma did not touch the girl, but her mother filed a criminal complaint. No charges were filed, but DiPalma was blacklisted from the school, Raisch said.
Raisch said he spoke with each child after the incident and none of them complained of inappropriate behavior. He then called DiPalma’s boss and had been assured that a criminal-background check had been done on DiPalma.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
