Mom upset with reaction to racist bullying

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A group chat involving Castle Rock Middle School students evolved into bullying with racial slurs and threats that targeted Black and biracial students for months.

Lacey Ganzy told Colorado Community Media that her son, Jerami- ah, an eighth grader at the school, was invited by other students to a student group chat on Snapchat in February. Soon after, he received frequent messages using the Nword. Two students threatened violence against Black people.

In addition to the group chat, Jeramiah said a school administrator earlier questioned him recently about a stolen water bottle, in- sinuating Jeramiah couldn’t afford one of his own. His mother considers the insinuation to be racial profiling. Jeramiah added in an interview that students have called him a monkey and the N-word at school.

The messages in the group were bigoted, including one where a student said “bring back the Holocaust,” and another threatening violence. Screenshots of the messages were provided to Colorado Community Media by Ganzy.

During Tuesday’s special school board meeting, Superintendent Erin Kane told Colorado Community Media that she has spoken to the Ganzy family to address what has happened to Jeramiah.

“I want to make it really really clear that racial slurs are not OK,” she said.

Ganzy said Jeramiah reported his experiences with racism to the district through a feedback form on its website on March 10, but did not get a response.

Weeks later, on April 19, Ganzy learned that her son was being bullied, including what she was told was near-daily racism. She reported it to Castle Rock Middle School and Douglas County School District administrators the next day. She also reported it to the Castle Rock Police Department.

Ganzy provided recordings of conversations between her and district administrators that took place on April 20. According to the recording, the student in the group chat who advocated for a second Holocaust received a five-day suspension. A second student, who threatened to shoot Black people, had not been suspended as of April 25.

Deputy Superintendent Danelle Hiatt is the administrator in the recording, according to Ganzy. Hiatt told Ganzy in the meeting that the district would be addressing the issue. Hiatt also apologized.

“I’m just really disgusted by what you’ve shown me on your phone about the behavior of our students and it is not OK,” Hiatt said on the recording.

Meanwhile, Ganzy has not allowed Jeramiah to go to school since April 20, fearing for his safety. “He’s the victim, but he’s the one not in school,” she said. “He’s being robbed of his education.” said consensus like ernment fewer and the ated sook voters same tion, Republican tics he their we back and cial are rights, law o importance ideals, party why not they a win, because Swing to can out bankrupt to nity needs licans real while making harder cratic cans are way Rock, on for in provement not ability,” had they Get the said ideas that already have broad consensus in the Republican party, like addressing crime, keeping government small with low taxes and fewer regulations, educational choice and promoting individualism, have the best chance of recruiting una liated voters.

Ganzy added that she’s concerned that Jeramiah’s experience shows the district is failing to create a safe environment for all students and that it needs to improve diversity, equity and inclusion.

“They consider hate crimes the same as bullying in every handbook in Douglas County,” she said. The Douglas County School District will discuss the proposed equity policy during a workshop on May 8. The policy has been a source of controversy for the district since 2020.

While campaigning in 2020, Hartsook said he found that una liated voters and Republicans shared the same concerns with growing in ation, crime and cost of living.

For Edling, the core values of the Republican party are scal.

“What truly is not divisive in politics is people’s money — their wallet,” he said. “People often vote with their wallet. Money is money. So if we could somehow turn our politics back into something we all agree on, and we want to protect — our nancial freedom, our nancial resources.”

For Baker, core conservative values are limited government, property rights, the rule of law and supporting law enforcement and public safety o cers.

Instead of mainly focusing on the importance of these Republican ideals, state GOP chair Williams said party leaders need to show voters why Democrats are corrupt.

“Here’s the truth: swing voters are not driven by ideology, otherwise they would a liate,” he said during a February debate. “If we’re going to win, let’s provide that bold contrast because our issues do, in fact, win. Swing voters, speci cally, just want to be able to vote for someone they can trust. And I assure you, if we call out the Democrats for being morally bankrupt and corrupted, we’re going to earn their trust.”

In an email to Colorado Community Media, Williams said the GOP needs to “show that Colorado Republicans care about resolving their very real kitchen table, pocketbook issues while exposing radical Democrats for making hard working citizens’ lives harder and more expensive.”

In addition to pointing out Democratic failures, Rowland said Republicans need to o er a better way.

“We have to say, ‘ is, this and this are going wrong — here’s a better way to x them,’” she said.

State Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, said the lack of improvement on many issues will be a motivator for people to start voting Republican.

“We’re not seeing an improvement in crime. We’re not seeing an improvement in homelessness. We’re not seeing an improvement in a ordability,” she said. “Democrats have had years to x these problems and they have been unable to.”

Get the brand out like Tony the Tiger

To get the party’s message out, Edling said the party needs to do a better job marketing through social media, schools and extracurriculars.

He said the GOP could even consider hiring a consultant to help.

“We have to do a better job of marketing to all our young people for both parties to get the future talent of politicians (and) leaders,” he said. “I want young, new, bright faces, new ideas to come out.”

Andrews, who ran for Arapahoe County assessor, said this messaging needs to start in schools.

“We keep talking about reaching out to the young people,” he said.

“ at’s just lip service — unless we start creating some young Republican clubs in every high school, it’s not gonna matter because all of the teachers and the media are speaking the language of the young people, and we’re not even in the game.”

In Taheri’s eyes, the party will be di cult to brand as long as Trump is still the national focus. Trump, facing criminal charges in New York, has already announced he will run for president in 2024.

“I just think it’s going to be really hard (to sell the issues) in Arapahoe County if Trump’s still in the picture.”

Taheri said. “I just think his tone, I mean, I just don’t see many suburban women supporting something like that. Arapahoe is a very educated county. I just don’t think any of us wanted that in our living room.”

From her perspective in the Capitol, Frizell said divisions in the party can distract from policy e orts to tackle constituents’ problems.

“We have to come together and unify if we’re ever going to succeed,” she said.

In Rowland’s eyes, the one true key to uniting the party and xing its image is to put real e ort into building relationships such as doing more community service, an idea she got from Boulder GOP Chair George Tristan.

“I think if the person you know — the person that came and helped build a tiny house for you, the person that came and did whatever service project your church was working on, and you meet that person, and you get to know them — that’s the person you vote for and you don’t pay attention to whether there’s an R or a D by their name,” she said. “Here in Colorado, it almost seems as though the R is like a scarlet letter.”

Both in the greater community and within the party itself, Rowland thinks the only way toward unity is giving each other a chance — sitting down for a cup of co ee over disagreement, and nding common ground.

“We have a Tony the Tiger problem,” she said. “For years, Tony the Tiger has taught us that Frosted Flakes are great. We grew up knowing that. But kids today grow up thinking Republicans are mean on social issues, that they’re too narrow-minded and too traditional and they don’t like any new ideas.”

“We have to be able to have discussions, respectful discussions, to come to a place where we can message,” she said. “And if we can’t agree on something, where can we work towards?”

Our mental and emotional health is just as important as our physical health. Now, more than ever, it’s important for us to connect with others. Simply talking with someone can make you, and them, feel better. Visit douglas.co.us and search Mental Health Resources

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