{"id":530,"date":"2026-05-18T23:33:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=530"},"modified":"2026-05-18T23:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:33:55","slug":"former-cherry-creek-schools-board-member-asked-immigrants-if-they-used-a-coyote-to-cross-border-complaints-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=530","title":{"rendered":"Former Cherry Creek Schools board member asked immigrants if they used a \u2018coyote\u2019 to cross border, complaints say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Cherry Creek Schools board member Terry Bates resigned after the district received three written complaints alleging that he asked a group of people if they came to the United States from Mexico with a \u201ccoyote,\u201d according to documents obtained by The Denver Post.<\/p>\n

Bates resigned unexpectedly last month during a Board of Education meeting at which his colleagues said he had made racist remarks.\u00a0At the time, the school board did not reveal specifics about the comments that resulted in Bates\u2019 resignation.<\/p>\n

Documents obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act request by The Post show that on April 20 \u2014 four days before Bates resigned \u2014 three people filed complaints with Cherry Creek General Counsel Sonja McKenzie. The complaints alleged that Bates asked people sitting at a table with him at an event about their ethnicity and where they were from \u2014 and then inquired about their use of a \u201ccoyote.\u201d<\/p>\n

The word coyote is used as slang for paid smugglers who help immigrants cross the U.S. border without authorization.<\/p>\n

District counsel also received \u201ctwo verbal complaints from two district administrators regarding inappropriate sexual remarks by Mr. Bates,\u201d confirmed spokeswoman Abbe Smith in an email.<\/p>\n

The verbal complaints were made on April 20 and April 23, when Bates was still on the board, but they involved an incident that happened before he was elected last year, she said. <\/p>\n

The incident involving the alleged racist comments occurred at a district event on April 17, Smith said. <\/p>\n

Bates pushed back on the allegations on Monday, saying in a statement that he \u201conly recently\u201d learned of an accusation from a district administrator related to an incident that allegedly took place more than five years ago.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNo complaint was ever brought to my attention at the time, no investigation occurred, and no evidence has been presented to substantiate the allegation,\u201d Bates said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGiven the timing, immediately following the concerns raised regarding the Mexico-related conversation, I believe it is reasonable to question whether old, unsubstantiated allegations are now being revived in an effort to damage my reputation and credibility,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The complaints filed against Bates related to last month\u2019s event were redacted, so it\u2019s unclear to whom he addressed his comments and who made the allegations against Bates. <\/p>\n

When Bates learned people at the table were from Mexico City, one of the complaints says, he responded by saying: \u201cOh neat, my housekeeper is from there. I mean, no judgement (sic) or anything. She is like a member of our family.\u201d \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Bates asked if theycrossed the southern U.S. border with a \u201ccoyote\u201d after discovering they had been in the country for nearly six decades, according to the complaints. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were disgusted and appalled,\u201d one of the complainants wrote.<\/p>\n

Bates said he told individuals at the table that he enjoys Mexico City and has visited frequently.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the conversation, I misunderstood part of what he said and asked a follow-up clarifying question,\u201d he said. \u201cI recognize that the question was inappropriate and could have caused offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bates sent an apology letter to the school board after the incident occurred.<\/p>\n

Separately, Cherry Creek Schools\u2019 Chief Financial Officer Scott Smith has accused Bates of \u201cintimidation, bullying, and unethical behavior\u201d and of planning to interfere with an external audit into the district\u2019s systems and structures, including fiscal responsibilities. Bates has denied those allegations.<\/p>\n

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Former Cherry Creek Schools board member Terry Bates resigned after the district received complaints alleging he asked immigrants if they came to the U.S. from Mexico with a \u201ccoyote,\u201d documents say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Cherry Creek Schools board member asked immigrants if they used a \u2018coyote\u2019 to cross border, complaints say - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=530\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Cherry Creek Schools board member asked immigrants if they used a \u2018coyote\u2019 to cross border, complaints say - 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