Tag: academy district 20
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Academy D-20 appoints Susan Field as interim superintendent
Academy School District 20’s assistant superintendent for learning services, Susan Field, was selected by the Board of Education as its interim superintendent during a special meeting on Tuesday. The board convened virtually to unanimously approve naming an interim replacement for Jinger Haberer, who was ousted in a board vote Thursday after members lost confidence in…
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Academy D-20 to part ways with superintendent
An email sent to the Academy District 20 community on Thursday night from the district’s Board of Education announced that it would be parting ways with Superintendent Jinger Haberer. In the email, D-20 Board President Amy Shandy said that the board “has unanimously determined that we do not have confidence” in Haberer’s leadership moving forward…
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Department of Defense awards $42.7 million for Douglass Valley Elementary rebuild
Academy District 20 will receive $42.7 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to help rebuild and expand Douglass Valley Elementary School, the military announced on Thursday. The cost of the project is expected to total $54.1 million, and once construction is finished, the school, located on the U.S. Air Force Academy base, will offer…
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Former Academy District 20 special education employee traded child sexual abuse materials, court documents allege
A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child sexual abuse materials led to the arrest of a former Academy District 20 educator, court documents obtained by The Gazette reveal. Theodore Mendoza, 33, worked as a special education behavior tutor from August until February at 16 D-20 locations, including elementary, middle…
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Man accused of possessing illegal materials of children worked in D-20 schools
Theodore Mendoza, 33, appeared in front of an El Paso County judge to be advised of his rights on Friday on allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material. Academy District 20 sent out a notice to parents on Friday about Mendoza because he worked in 16 locations as a special education behavior tutor. He…
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Public figures have limited path to sue over accusations of criminality, says appeals court
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week that a public figure cannot sue for defamation solely because a person publicly accuses them of committing a crime, as the statement may be constitutionally protected opinion. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel narrowed the claims that Academy School District 20 board member Derrick Wilburn may pursue against Bernadette…
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Pueblo citizens call for D-70 board upheaval, attorney’s resignation
A growing number of Puebloans are calling for the removal of three board members for Pueblo County School District 70 over alleged governance concerns in recent months. A newly formed coalition known as WeAreD70 is calling for Ann Bennett, A.J. Wilson and recently appointed Susie Carnes, along with the board’s attorney, Brad Miller, to resign.…
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Colorado Springs student threatens lawsuit over religious design at high school
Academy District 20 has updated its guidelines for high school seniors painting their personal parking space after a Rampart High School student threatened legal action against the district for denying her design. As part of the school’s “paint your senior parking spot” activity, senior Sophia Shumaker submitted a design in August that included her name,…
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Preliminary numbers show enrollment drops in 2 of Colorado Springs’ largest school districts
Preliminary figures indicate that many school districts in the Colorado Springs area lost students over the past year. Academy D-20 and School District 49 released preliminary numbers from their October student counts that both show decreases in student enrollment during their board of education meetings Dec. 12. D-20 reported a slight drop of 38 students…
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D-20 educator named high school assistant principal of the year
Air Academy High School Assistant Principal Liz Walhof has been named the 2025 High School Assistant Principal of the Year by the Colorado Association of School Executives. This award honors school administrators who demonstrate exemplary leadership and a deep commitment to education and are selected from a competitive pool of nominees across Colorado. Walhof has…