Parents sue school district over contract, threat to kick disabled daughter off pom team

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The parents of a 17-year-old at Thunder Ridge High School say their daughter has been the target of retaliation from her pom team coach.

The parents, who wish to remain anonymous, said their daughter has felt excluded from team activities and even told to quit the team over her disabilities. They then were given a contract to sign, barring them from raising any concerns over coaching, even with other parents.

“She’s been diagnosed with a speech delay, she has non-hyperactive ADHD and also anxiety,” said the teen’s dad.

Through it all, however, they say their daughter has always shined as a dancer.

“Confidence booster,” said her dad. “Just all the things you want to see from your kid, just the joy.”

Last year, the couple says their daughter experienced a pattern of feeling intentionally left out. She was the only one on a team retreat not to be assigned a roommate, and she was the only teammate asked to audition a second time for a dance routine.

This prompted their daughter to text her coach.

“’Hey, I just kind of feel like you don’t really like me and you don’t really believe in me and I just, I kind of want, you know, help,'” her dad says she texted.

They say the coach didn’t take that text well.

“That’s when she cornered our daughter at a practice and said, ‘You know, I don’t appreciate how you spoke to me, and if you ever do something like that we’re going to have a meeting with your parents and reconsider your position on the team,'” said her mom.

The parents say the coach told them their daughter “used her disabilities as a crutch” and even encouraged her to quit the team.

“Which I was appalled by because no coach should ever encourage anybody to be a quitter,” said her mom.

They say they raised their concerns to the principal, the athletic director and multiple other officials, all with resistance. That’s when they say they were given a contract to sign by Douglas County School District, saying they were no longer allowed to discuss any concerns about the team or coaching with anyone, even other parents.

“It was such a shocker and it seems like it came from nowhere,” said her dad.

Lawyer says contract violates First Amendment

They took that contract to lawyer Igor Raykin, who couldn’t believe it.

“It was such a clear violation of the First Amendment that I was just stunned,” said Raykin.

The contract also says if it’s violated, their daughter will be removed from the team and any of their other kids will be banned from participating. The parents are now filing a lawsuit with the district in hopes one like it never is handed out again.

“It’s really concerning to me that if there are other kids out there with disabilities who have concerns about their coaches that they may be silenced by a contract like this,” said Raykin.

FOX31 reached out to the Douglas County School District for comment on the lawsuit.

“DCSD values all of our students and student athletes. We take every concern reported to us very seriously and we are dedicated to ensuring that all of our students experience a welcoming and caring environment in our schools,” the Douglas County School District said in a statement.

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Nate Belt

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