Two weeks after district officials released a report clearing Director John Youngquist of overt racial bias, the Denver school board voted 5-1 to censure him during its meeting Thursday.

Director Kimberlee Sia was the lone no vote. Youngquist abstained.

More than half a dozen people spoke about Youngquist, most in support.

“I want to express how sad and also disgusted I am for this superintendent, and some board members, who would denigrate Mr. Youngquist’s reputation because they are too afraid to take responsibility for the truths he was sharing to you,” said Mario Giardiello.

“For 35 years, he has worked tirelessly for our community, with mostly nonwhite populations, and never a word about his biases.”

Giardiello said he’s known Youngquist for more than three decades.

Others shared similar stories.

Hashim Coates was among those calling for censure.

Coates is facing a defamation lawsuit after accusing Kristen Fry of assault and a racial epithet two years ago. Coates filed a police report, claiming Director Michelle Quattlebaum had witnessed the assault. Charges were later dropped after Denver Public Schools’ surveillance footage showed no evidence of an assault.

Coates has since backtracked, saying it was actually Fry’s hair and not her hand that had caused him pain.

“When misconduct stays hidden, it continues, when brought to the sunlight, we stop the cycle,” Coates said of Youngquist. “And I want to be clear: Where there is smoke, there is fire.”

A censure is a public reprimand for policy violations or unethical conduct. A censure does not remove a public official from office. Only voters can do that.

The last time the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education censured one of its own was former board Vice President Auon’tai M. Anderson four years ago when an independent investigation found credible allegations that he had made “unwelcome sexual comments and advances” to minors.

Anderson spoke during public comment Thursday in support of censure.

Last month, board members spent nearly 90 minutes calling on Youngquist to take responsibility for anonymous and — in many instances — unspecified accusations of racial insensitivity. Members debated whether “intent” mattered less than the “impact” of Youngquist’s actions.

Board members repeated their disappointment Thursday.

“Accountability is not a punishment, it is the path towards repair,” said Quattlebaum.

Youngquist declined to comment before the vote.

In a statement to the press after, Youngquist said Superintendent Alex Marrero’s accusations were retaliatory.

“As I have articulated previously, there certainly is a lot more to this story than the public has been made aware of through the biased and limited context of the investigation report,” Youngquist said in a statement.

In April, Marrero alleged in a letter to board President Carrie Olson that Youngquist had “demonstrated a pattern” of hostility, policy violations and racial insensitivity that created a toxic work environment. He also accused Youngquist of vying for his job.

Youngquist has said he believes the complaint traces back to safety concerns he raised — and Marrero dismissed — a year before a troubled student at East High School shot two administrators. The district is being sued for its inaction and Youngquist said he expects to be deposed in these federal lawsuits.

The investigation by Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes did not conclusively find any bias and that Youngquist’s conduct — pushing back on data and asking critical questions — was “consistent with what he views to be his mission as a board member.”

Examples of Youngquist’s behavior included a witness who said Youngquist called the district’s graduation rate “not good enough;” and his failure to clap when Marrero was named superintendent of the year.

It was Marrero who asked for Youngquist’s censure.

A petition circulating in the East High School community has collected more than 300 signatures in support of Youngquist and urged the board to reject censuring Youngquist.

“We’re focusing on his communication style and we should really be focused on the information that he’s trying to get from Denver Public Schools,” Greg Graeber, an East High School parent and self-described Marrero fan, has said.

Before running for his at-large seat in 2023, Youngquist was a longtime educator who served as an area superintendent for DPS and as principal at East High School — the district’s flagship campus. He has spent decades in Denver and Aurora public schools in roles addressing inclusion, equity and diversity.

The Youngquist findings come amid a broader climate in which accusations of racism have become increasingly common and frequently leveled against those who question district leadership. Community leaders have warned that the overuse of these accusations could dull their meaning and derail real conversations about equity.