Imagine Kay Ewer, a 28-year-old former Jefferson County paraprofessional, was sentenced to four years in prison at the end of January 2025 for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student.

Ewer’s January 2024 sentencing marked the beginning of a string of similar cases in Jefferson County.

Luis Fernando Robles-Luevanos, a family liaison at Creighton Middle School, was arrested in February 2024 for allegedly sexually assaulting children.

Justin Martinez, who worked at several JeffCo schools in afterschool care programs, was arrested in May for an alleged sexual assault on a child. Chloe Castro, a social worker in the district, was also arrested in November on similar charges.

In April, parents from Jeffco Kids First claimed it uncovered 26 total cases of sexual abuse, misconduct, grooming, hiring, firing and reporting issues since 2022 in the district.

In emails sent to The Denver Gazette by Jeffco Kids First, it appears the school district and sheriff’s office is also investigating a bus driver at Evergreen High School who allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a student in April. 

According to the email thread, a student came to the high school’s principal, Skyler Artes, and told her that the bus driver had started texting her around March. 

The bus driver then allegedly texted her about liking older men, his divorce and how pretty she was. He also allegedly made a comment while she was on the bus that “kidnapping her would be easy,” according to emails from Artes.

He was placed on administrative leave on April 18, according to an email from Josie Gallagher, a transportation director for the district’s west terminal.

“A culture that allows misconduct”

Principals are responsible for hiring classroom teachers and all hires are required to pass both an FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) fingerprint-based background check, the district told The Denver Gazette Wednesday.

“After review, we have verified that our hiring processes are best practice,” a spokesperson for the district said.

But some parents said a lack of leadership and accountability are the main cause of the ongoing incidents and arrests.

“Jeffco doesn’t have boundaries,” Valerie Leal, a Jeffco mom who formerly represented charter schools on Jeffco’s district accountability committee, told The Denver Gazette in March. “They don’t have clear boundaries of what is or isn’t appropriate behavior between staff and children.”

The district staff delivered a comprehensive update to the school board outlining the district’s Student Safety Enhancement Project in February, just a month after Weiss’ death.

The district brought in local law enforcement partners and the Ralston House — a local nonprofit that works with children who have been sexually abused — to act as consultants in its handling of both policy and hiring procedures.

In a presentation to the school board on Feb. 13, 2025, Don Mosley, executive director for the Ralston House, said that perpetrators go to places where people are trusted.

“It’s a reverse compliment to schools, churches and athletics because good people go into those, and perpetrators want to hide in that group,” he said. “The majority of people who work in those areas are great people, but a few go in for a different reason.”

Weiss took over the position at the start of 2022, which is when the list of misconduct issues compiled by Jeffco Kids First started.

The chief of school’s responsibilities include overseeing and increasing student achievement, quality school leadership and school effectiveness for Jefferson County’s schools and communities, according to the district’s website.

An email obtained by The Denver Gazette showed that Weiss oversaw an adult sexual misconduct training for Jeffco employees in December 2024, just a few days before he was terminated. 

According to Datko, Weiss also took part in investigations into misconduct cases in the district as recorded in his professional calendar. 

Weiss was replaced on May 19 by Andrew Coleman, whose hiring was officially approved by the board on Thursday. 

Coleman was the associate chief of schools at Denver Public Schools since May 2022, according to his LinkedIn. 

Three of the five schoolboard members will be up for reelection in November: Danielle Varda, Paula Reed and Parker.

When asked who the district will hold accountable for the string of incidents, the district’s spokesperson said, “With the full cooperation of Jeffco Public Schools, the people who have committed the crimes are being held accountable by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. In Jeffco, under Superintendent Dorland’s leadership, the district has cultivated a stronger culture of reporting and transparency, ensuring that when allegations arise, they are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and referred swiftly to law enforcement.”