How a School Board Failed a Principal during a Local Media Storm

How a School Board Failed a Principal during a Local Media Storm

On Thursday, October 19, DPS issued a statement criticizing the news coverage of the Manual High School and Weld Central High School football game held on September 22. The statement concludes with a strong statement of support for Nick Dawkins, Manual’s principal, who became a scapegoat in much of the news coverage about the game during the preceding weeks.

However, I personally found the language of the letter confusing and wanted to clarify several points for the Whittier community. I believe this information can give community members a fuller understanding of the role DPS played in the situation. I know Nick Dawkins personally and have seen the tremendous positive change he has brought to Manual in a very short time. I am saddened to see his stellar reputation jeopardized because of DPS mistakes and judgment errors.

Friday, September 22

Principal Dawkins arrived at the football game between the Manual Thunderbolts and the Weld Rebels during its second quarter. Almost immediately, MHS employees, parents, and students came to him alleging that Weld Central fans had waved a Confederate flag and were using racial epithets. The Manual athletic staff also talked to him about on-the-field slurs and harder-than-necessary hits. During the remainder of the game, Principal Dawkins saw no Confederate flag or paraphernalia. However, he did see a very rough football game during which three Manual students were injured. The game was called in its final minutes because of the third student injury, which was severe enough to warrant an ambulance trip to the hospital.

That night, Principal Dawkins sent an email to DPS contacts to alert them to the situation. In the email, he made it clear that he himself did not see a Confederate flag, although he did hear allegations. He also stated that the game was called because of injuries, not racial animosity.

Saturday, September 23

The next morning, rumors about the game started spreading via social media. Principal Dawkins spoke multiple times with the DPS communication team to clarify fact from fiction. Subsequently, he received a community letter written by the DPS communication team. The letter stated that a Confederate flag was displayed during the first quarter and Weld Central fans were asked to remove it. The letter also intimated that the game was called because of racism.

After reading the letter draft, Principal Dawkins emphasized to the communication team that he had not seen a Confederate flag and reiterated that the game was called because of injury. However, given that the letter was written and reviewed by the DPS communications team according to DPS protocol, he assumed DPS was confident in the statement’s accuracy, content and its communication plan to support the school community. He was also told DPS officials would be issuing a follow-on statement regarding the situation. He therefore allowed his signature to remain on the letter. As he said later, “They are communications professionals and I assumed that they knew best.” The letter was released on September 23.

Following weeks

As you likely are aware, the ensuing TV and newspaper coverage — fueled further by social media — generated huge controversy, replete with much negative commentary. People clamored for proof that a flag was flown, and when none could be provided, accusations of deliberate lying started to surface — much of which was aimed at Principal Dawkins. During this time, DPS remained silent.

Then, on October 11, 9News revealed a copy of Principal Dawkins’ September 22 email to DPS, provided by DPS. According to Kyle Clark, the reporter, DPS refused to provide any other related emails to the station, citing “deliberate privilege.” Consequently, Clark called out the discrepancies between Principal Dawkins’ email and the public accusation of racism — leaving anyone seeing the story on TV or social media to conclude that Principal Dawkins deliberately lied. In fact, the headline for the follow-on story was “DPS Principal’s Shifting Claims of Racism Revealed by Internal Email.”

To this day, DPS has not admitted that it overrode Principal Dawkins’ statements. And while it has publicly stated support for Principal Dawkins, it has not done anything to counter public claims that he has lied.

I am horrified on so many levels by this situation. I’m horrified that a Colorado school would have a Confederate soldier as its mascot in 2017. I’m horrified to see that DPS puts its image and the reputation of its officials above those of a dedicated school administrator. And third, I’m dismayed by the comments I’ve read over the last weeks which clearly demonstrate that racism is alive and well among us.

I urge all community members to continue to support Principal Dawkins. We need more people like him who are truly committed to our children and their education. This situation demonstrates why it is extremely important to have citizens with strong voices and the experience to navigate politics on our school board.