Nearly all Banning Lewis Academy school board members resign en masse
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Nearly an entire Colorado Springs school board has resigned. 13 Investigates has learned that four out of the five school board members at Banning Lewis Academy resigned between June 10 and 13.
According to school board President Heather Zambrano, the resignations are linked to alleged repeated bullying, harassment, and intimidation from community members.
"If it isn't the few community members, it's now the game being played by other key players that have been silent or care about money, politics, or covering their own," Zambrano said. "The only people fighting for the students, staff, and programming are the 21/22 BLA Board members. It's unfortunate how the abuse doesn't cease.
Zambrano's resignation letter joins three other board members, Alexandra Tomei, Krisell Creager-Lumbkins and Deann Barnett as the four resigning board members.
"I am repulsed by the abuse this Board has taken, and further sickened by all the "professionals," "adults," or "partners in education" who have been bystanders or worse, have taken part in these infantile bullying bouts and victimization on account of personal agendas and shameless, deceitful attacks," Creager-Lumbkins said.
Creager-Lumbkin's resignation letter outlined 22 areas where the school is allegedly failing or ways that community members and school officials are committing nefarious acts.
Those allegations include public money being misappropriated, potential fraud inside the school, and the unlawful sharing of student information with other students, or school officials.
School District 49 tells 13 Investigates they are aware of the resignations and are looking into the matter. However, they say they have very little oversight authority over the Academy as it is a charter school.
A newly appointed school board is expected to be in place by the end of July.