Principal Veltze pleads not guilty

By Sue Lindsay Rocky Mountain NewsMarch 12, 2008The Denver principal at the center of a controversy over when to report allegations of child abuse pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Denver County Court.
Nicole Veltze, principal of Skinner Middle School in northwest Denver, is charged with a misdemeanor count of failure to report an allegation of child abuse or neglect at her school. Veltze, 37, and her attorney left the brief hearing without comment.
Meanwhile, a parents group defended Veltze and accused prosecutors of throwing the school district into chaos by an overly strict interpretation of the law.
"We're alarmed by the DA's position. We think he's overreaching," said Marco Nunez, an organizer with Padres Unidos, a group of parents and teens who advocate for school reform.
The group is particularly active in northwest Denver and the neighborhood around Skinner.
Nunez said the lack of clarity over the issue is forcing school teachers to report every and any incident, even if it only marginally involves a possible crime.
"It's taking the principal out of the equation," he said. "Principals who use their common sense or discretion are putting their careers at risk."
Last week, defense attorney Richard Caschette filed a motion to dismiss the charge, contending that the law she is accused of violating is unconstitutionally vague.
They also contend that Veltze should be immune from prosecution because she followed DPS policy in handling the Dec. 14 incident of sexual contact between students.
A motions hearing is set for April 25. Trial is set for June 16, but prosecutor Bonnie Benedetti told the judge that plea negotiations are continuing.
The criminal case against Veltze prompted confusion in DPS schools and sparked a surge in calls to city social services and to police by school officials who said they were uncertain of what they needed to report.
Veltze is accused of violating a state law that requires school employees to report suspicions of abuse or neglect to authorities "immediately."
Caschette contends that the law doesn't specify what that means.
According to court documents, Veltze learned at 1:15 Friday, Dec. 14, that two seventh- grade boys had inappropriately touched a girl during class.
By 2:20 p.m. Veltze had obtained statements from both boys and suspended them for five days.
Veltze contacted the girl's mother by phone about 5:15 p.m. and agreed to talk the following Monday about how to proceed. But on Saturday, the girl's parents notified police, and Veltze was called to police headquarters on Sunday.
She was served Jan. 21 with a criminal summons charging her with failing to report child abuse.
lindsays@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5181 John Ensslin contributed to this report.