Principal Fired by Denver Public Schools After Expressing Safety Concerns

McAuliffe International School Principal Kurt Dennis was fired last month by Denver Public Schools. Earlier in the spring, Dennis had shared his concerns about some of the school district’s safety practices during a 9News interview. On Wednesday, July 5, Dennis received a letter informing him of his termination, with the interview being one of the reasons why.

Dennis had shared during the interview that he had been notified that one of the students at his school had been charged with attempted murder. Because of this, he asked for an extended suspension and a remote learning option for this student, both of which were denied by DPS. He shared that the Denver Police Department had also discouraged returning to in-person learning for the student.

The letter stated that Dennis had also been fired for allegedly violating the student’s privacy during the 9News interview; however, Dennis shared that while he did tell 9News a student had been charged with attempted murder, he did not reveal the student’s identity or provide any information about the student. Chris Vanderveen from 9News confirmed with Dennis’ lawyer that he was never shown or told any confidential information.

DPS said that “leadership concerns” were part of their decision to fire Dennis, and that “the termination had little to do with any media interviews, but rather the sharing of confidential student information in violation of state and federal laws.” DPS’s Superintendent Alex Marrero further agreed with the district’s reasons for firing Dennis, stating yet again that the decision was because of “several concerns including his sharing private student information in a manner the district believes violated the law and our policy.

“Mr. Dennis could have voiced his concerns regarding the district’s safety practices without disclosing personal, private information about one of his students,” Marrero also says. Dennis is now in the process of filing a lawsuit citing his first amendment protections.

Dennis shares that he agreed to do the interview to try and create change to the safety policies that are in place for DPS. He had hoped to see alternative learning plans and support for students in the judicial system due to crimes committed with weapons. Dennis also said there needs to be training accompanied by protocols and guidelines from DPS.

“Any time a student demonstrates the ability to obtain, and the willingness to use a weapon to harm another person, that precludes them from returning to a traditional classroom setting,” Dennis says. “It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given the opportunity to receive an education, but there needs to be an alternative to just having a student come back to a 1500-person school and pretending that everything’s normal. Because it’s not.”

Molly Lacy, a mental health social worker at McAuliffe International, learned of Dennis’ termination from a group chat where coworkers had shared the 9News interview. Other than a staff-wide Zoom meeting held Friday morning to discuss the implications of his firing, Lacy said there hasn’t been any internal communication or notices about an interim leader. Lacy also shared that the students and staff would love to have Dennis back, and that there is an online petition calling for his reinstatement from upset families in the community. The petition has over 6,000 signatures. Lacy says she is really disappointed with how the situation was handled and that she has had a positive experience under Dennis’s leadership

“McAuliffe is a special place, and it’s special because it’s a community that’s very diverse and integrated,” Dennis says. “People get along well, and it’s challenging work. Middle school is hard, and middle school with 1500 kids is really hard. But, for every challenge there, there’s also joy. More than anything, I’m gonna miss the community and the collegiality and the kids.”

Photo courtesy of McAuliffe International School