(The Lion) — A Colorado school district with multiple sexual misconduct allegations against its employees over the last year is apologizing to parents after its latest horrific scandal.

An investigation revealed school officials helped a female student falsely declare herself homeless so she could carry on an affair with a teacher.

Investigators hired by Jefferson County Schools (JeffCo) and records requested by CBS News Colorado paint a harrowing picture of district personnel ignoring warning signs and actually helping the girl lie on a federal form and hide it from her parents so she could move in with the teacher.

The 17-year-old student at Columbine High School in Littleton, near Denver, began an inappropriate relationship with social studies teacher Leann Kearney, who investigators say was “grooming” the girl, CBS reported.

The girl’s mother found thousands of text messages and calls between Kearney and her daughter and sent a message to Kearney telling the teacher to stop contacting her. She also found the homeless declaration document and a letter describing her daughter and Kearney kissing.

But when the mom showed the calls and texts to Principal Scott Christy, who is still employed by the district, he reportedly dismissed her saying, “Ms. Kearney takes interest in helping kids navigate their sexuality.”

The teacher eventually quit, but it was not until two years later, and after pressure from the girl’s mom and JeffCo Kids First founder Lindsay Datko, that she was stripped of her teaching license.

The district, which has over 75,000 students and 14,000 staff, called it an “isolated incident.” It said Christy and other personnel fully cooperated with the investigation and that district policies have been changed to ensure this does not happen again.

“We recognize this is of little comfort to the family,” the district said in a statement. “We deeply regret how profoundly this violation has affected their family.”

A message purportedly from JeffCo Superintendent Tracy Dorland and posted online read, “I’m sorry that you and your family are going through a very difficult time, and that your experience at Columbine did not meet your expectations and left you angry and frustrated. Please know that we are taking steps as a district to learn and grow as we continue to partner with parents in the best interest of students.”

But Heather McCormick, a friend speaking on behalf of the mom, told CBS the situation got worse as it went on.

“Not a single person stood up and said something doesn’t seem right and reached out to the parents,” McCormick said. “I think it’s really scary that we can take teenagers – or children of any age – and say ‘whatever you say is true and we’re not going to investigate it. We’re going to take big steps to declare you homeless without notifying your family.’”

The daughter ultimately fled the state to live with Kearney when she turned 18. McCormick says her mother wants more accountability so that “it (won’t) happen to someone else.”

The district, which is the state’s second largest, has been the subject of controversy after five allegations of sexual assault were lodged against its employees in 2024, including child porn allegations that led to the suicide of former Chief of Staff David Weiss.

Other charges include sexual exploitation of a child and unlawful sexual communication, with accused staffers including a social worker and middle school and after school personnel.

Former teacher’s aide and paraprofessional Imagine Kay Ewer pled guilty in November to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old special needs student after investigators found she developed an inappropriate relationship with him, gave him alcohol and Fentanyl, and even encouraged him to “to bring (a) gun to school and shoot another faculty member in the leg,” according to a release from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.

Ewer, who had worked for the district from 2015 to 2023, received a 10-year minimum sentence and must register as a sex offender.

Special Victims Prosecutor Brynn Chase told the court there was evidence this wasn’t the only time Ewer was accused of being unprofessional with students, stating, “some of the issues in her background should have stood out to the school.”

Chase emphasized the importance of recognizing the broader impact on the community, noting the district’s recent history of sexual assaults:

“Over the past year, multiple individuals in positions of trust within Jefferson County have been accused and charged with similar offenses. While the school district plays a critical role in addressing and preventing such behavior, the criminal justice system’s ability to offer accountability only comes through collaboration and a common goal of safety.”

Datko, who has long chronicled the district’s mishandling of the cases against it and the employees involved, criticized the school system’s promotion of the term “Trusted Adult,” and the encouragement for employees “to self-identify as such, despite clear evidence that the vetting process for these ‘trusted adults’ is fundamentally flawed.

“Jeffco needs an immediate triage operation that will secure the gaps putting students at risk, bring confidence to parents, and ensure targeted solutions, consistency, Accountability, and commitment to adhering to sound processes, policies, and laws,” she wrote in an open letter to the district’s leaders.

Libs of Tik Tok, an X account that routinely posts crimes committed by public school employees and personnel, put it another way.

“@JeffcoSchoolsCo may be the worst school district in this country,” it posted on X. “The amount of scandals they have, including sex scandals, is mind boggling. In addition, they push DEI and radical gender ideology onto students.

“The DOJ and Dept of Education should start an investigation into this district,” it said in another post.