The Woodland Park School District Board of Education at a Jan. 25 special meeting appointed Mick Bates as its newest director.

Bates, who fills the Director District A vacancy left by Chris Austin, was among a trio of applicants, all of whom were interviewed by board members David Rusterholtz, David Illingworth II, Cassie Kimbrell and Suzanne Patterson.

The board kept the questions consistent across the applicants, with a wide range of topics spanning delicate topics like sexuality, race, separation of church and state in public schools, and more.

During the first round of questions, Illingworth mentioned a group called Concerned Parents of Teller County, citing a correspondence and revealing the name of the sender, which caused an eruption in the crowd. According to Illingworth, the letter suggested inviting The Satanic Temple to a school board meeting. Rusterholtz intervened, instructing the board and interviewees to refrain from using specific names in their remarks.

Illingworth proceeded to rephrase his question, asking candidates one by one if it would be “appropriate to invite a religious organization such as satanists to participate in the government functions and the education of public-school children.” He wanted to know, as a school board director, how the candidates would respond to such a suggestion.

Bates, the second candidate to be interviewed, stated he would be “very much against that.” He proceeded to describe the separation of church and state as being “backward,” explaining that it was designed to keep the state out of religion, not the other way around. Bates pointed to the Judeo-Christian historic roots of the nation, saying that there had to be some parameters and that the Church of Satan is not within his.

Illingworth continued with that line of questioning, referencing a request he said originated from the same group to offer drag shows for children, in response to which Bates quipped, “Absolutely not.”

The director brought up Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book “Between the World and Me,” asking candidates if it is “appropriate or even lawful to view a person as inherently bad or dangerous simply because of the color of their skin.” Bates responded, “Absolutely not,” adding that “justice is blind for a reason” and “it should be very easy to treat everyone equally because everyone’s got something they can bring to the table.”

Illingworth proceeded to address the topic of sex, sexual attraction and sexual activity amid parental concern about the promotion and use of a school handbook in the district by nonprofit organization The Trevor Project. He quotes the handbook as stating to the child, “You are never too young to discuss your sexuality with a teacher.” Bates said he believes this is the parent’s responsibility, not that of teachers. If handled right at home, he said, students shouldn’t need to confide in a teacher about this issue.

During his allotted time, Rusterholtz asked candidates to share their thoughts about the BOE’s mission and purpose statement. In response, Bates said that he agrees with the document, emphasizing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as the foundation. He supports the critical role of parents, citing district philosophies that align with parental choice oriented to parental expectations and values and agreeing that parents are the primary educator of their children.

In his closing statement, Bates seemed to win over the crowd when he said, “If I’m selected for this job, I’ll give it my all. And since I’m retired, I’ve got a lot of all.”

After acknowledging the high caliber of three candidates, Rusterholtz asked for a motion. A motion to appoint Bates was brought forward by Kimbrell and seconded by Patterson. Bates received unanimous support from the board and will be sworn in at the next regular meeting, Feb. 8.

Mick Bates

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