BRIGHTON — A school district investigation of its contract with Brighton Collegiate High School — ordered days after another teacher sex scandal rocked the charter school — is nearly complete, officials say.
A finished report is scheduled to be presented to the Brighton School District 27J board Tuesday. It’s not known how the report’s findings will affect the school’s charter with the district, said district spokeswoman Allison Lockwood.
But Brighton Collegiate board President Ken Mitchell said if the report calls for changes in how the school operates, then so be it.
“Everyone’s attitude is that if something is going on here, let’s fix it,” Mitchell said.
District Superintendent Rod Blunck ordered a review of the operations at the 300-student school last month after the arrest of 34-year-old Ralph Kelly.
Kelly, a social studies and German teacher at Collegiate High, allegedly tried to recruit a male student for a sex survey on openly gay students and forced the student to have sex with him, according to police.
Kelly’s arrest came a year after Carrie McCandless, the wife of the former principal at the school, was arrested and fired for having sexual contact with a male student while on a field trip. McCandless, 30, was sentenced in June to 45 days in jail and five years’ probation.
Former school board President David Mundy Sr. resigned as a result of the Mc Candless incident and pleaded guilty last year for failing to report suspected child abuse.
His son, David Mundy Jr., was sentenced in January 2007 to 90 days in jail and 10 years’ probation for sexual contact with three girls, including one he had taught as a substitute at the school.
School principal Chris McCandless’ contract was not renewed. The school was known as Brighton Charter School during the McCandless scandal.
The district put together a team that included two retired superintendents who interviewed all Collegiate staff and board members. The group also interviewed students and parents on a volunteer basis, officials said.
“They had our full cooperation, and we opened our doors to them,” Mitchell said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
