November 18, 2021
$1.00
An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 52
COVID vaccine rule not planned for now in Cherry Creek schools
SPECIAL REPORT
District, Tri-County Health look to state on whether to require shots BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton.
PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT
They came seeking confidence; they left traumatized Sexual abuses were kept quiet for decades at the world-renowned Colorado Center for the Blind, former students and employees allege BY DAVID GILBERT DAVID@COLORADOSUN.COM
More than a dozen previously unreported instances of sexual misconduct and abuse spanning at least two decades at the Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton have surfaced during an internal
investigation of the school’s parent organization. Among the offenses were the alleged sexual assault of a 13-yearold girl by a summer youth camp counselor in 2001, of which police have no record; a teacher accused SEE BLIND, P6
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 28
ABOUT THIS SPECIAL REPORT This project is a collaboration of Colorado Community Media, publisher of this newspaper, and The Colorado Sun. The Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
The Cherry Creek School District and the Tri-County Health Department, the public health agency for Arapahoe County, are deferring to state authorities on whether to require COVID-19 vaccination for students, a decision the state doesn’t see happening in the near future. Asked whether Cherry Creek plans to require COVID-19 vaccination for students aged 5 through 11, or for all pre-K through 12th grade students, in the coming weeks or months — or whether the district plans to issue such a requirement around the start of the 2022-23 school year — a district spokesperson said it won’t make that decision on its own. “CCSD will not require vaccines for students unless mandated to do so by state or federal health agencies,” said Abbe Smith, the spokesperson for the district. “We are providing clinics and other opportunities to access vaccines.” When asked the same question, TriCounty Health — which also serves Adams County amd offers certain SEE SCHOOLS, P15
CREEK TAKES VOLLEYBALL CROWN
After tough matches, Bruins win championship P28