Monument Academy School Board, June 12, 27 – Board passes sports fairness policy, joins in suit against CHSAA

• Sports policy
• MA joins lawsuit
• Insurance increases
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) School Board met twice in June to pass a policy and join a lawsuit related to gender in sports, discuss increasing roof insurance costs, take actions, and hear committee reports.

Sports policy

Board member Karen Hoida presented a proposed policy along the lines of parental rights and protection. Identical to policies passed in several other districts and charter schools, JBA-MA Preserving Fairness and Safety in Schools asserts that boys have physical advantage over most girls that are significant enough that they would displace girls if permitted to compete.

It also cites safety and privacy concerns, access to scholarships, and a presidential executive order threatening to rescind educational funds. The policy asserts that genetics are determined at birth. The policy forbids boys from playing on girls’ teams and girls from playing on boys’ teams. It also forbids sharing locker rooms or hotel rooms.

The board voted unanimously to pass policy JBA-MA. Board policies are available at bit.ly/ma-policies.

MA joins lawsuit

Board President Ryan Graham provided background on the D49 lawsuit against the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), saying that MA has observed increasing tension between Title 9 and CHSAA bylaws. He also noted that the Colorado Anti-Discriminatory Act (CADA) says that students must be allowed to participate in sports teams based on their gender identity. MA believes those requirements violate Title 9 and therefore has implemented the policy JBA-MA, and he suggested adding MA’s name as a plaintiff noting that this might bring federal scrutiny.

Vice President Lindsay Clinton moved to approve joining the lawsuit saying that doing so codifies MA’s conviction. She encouraged parents to ask questions, send emails, and make public comments if they are unsure where their school stands. Treasurer Craig Carle said that, as a father of two daughters who are athletes, he is deeply concerned with CHSAA’s policy. He fully supports the inclusion of all students but feels that women’s sports were created so they could train, compete, and excel without being at a biological disadvantage.

The board voted unanimously to add MA’s name as a plaintiff to the lawsuit, which names CHSAA, the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and the state attorney general.

Insurance increases

At the June 10 meeting, the board heard about hail coverage changes in MA’s building insurance policy and reviewed a presentation of coverage options for the following year. Finance Director Laura Polen presented options from HUB International insurance brokers noting that the policy would change from a $25,000 deductible to 5%, which would be an increase to over $2 million. There was an option to buy down the deductible to 3% at a cost of $53,627 she said would save them $800,000 or to buy it down to 2% at the cost of $83,537 and savings of $1.2 million. Polen asked for the board’s guidance. Graham asked if MA could exclude some insurance due to the rubber membrane roof. The board agreed to set a special meeting to discuss this and asked for more information on the current condition of the roofs, and a history of claims over the last 20 years.

The board met again on June 27 to discuss insurance options.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• Spotlight. Executive Director Collin Vinchattle spotlighted outgoing board member Karen Hoida, whose term ends on June 30. Vinchattle cited Hoida’s dedicated service and valuable contributions, saying that she saw beyond the conventional and sparked meaningful discussions that led to innovative solutions
• Executive director. Vinchattle reviewed the year’s accomplishments, which included the organizational audit, development of the education philosophy statement, forging community partnerships, and financial improvements.
• Finance. Polen said MA completed its budget and shared with D38. She reported that MA had received five quarters of the requested Employee Retention Tax Credit funds and deposited that money into its high-interest COLOTRUST accounts. The board approved removing Glenn Gustafson from the Integrity Bank signature process, leaving Graham, Polen, Carle, and Finance Assistant Dawn Bartlett.
• Curriculum East. Clinton shared that the committee met on May 20 to review supplemental literature for the high school ethics and morals class, reminding the board that material that is less than 25% of the curriculum does not come to the board for approval. The board approved the Colorado History curriculum.
• Facilities: The board accepted a proposal from E&K Paving for $37,500 to grade and compact asphalt millings on the West Campus parking lot.
• Contracts: The board approved a contract with Elevate Education, a company that works with Program Manager Janyse Skalla on the homeschool enrichment program.
• Handbook updates: The board unanimously approved the modified 2025-26 combined Student Handbook, added a workplace bullying section to the Staff Handbook, and heard the first read of the proposal to modify the Athletic Handbook for middle and high school.
• Compensation. The board approved a stipend for homeschool enrichment staff who developed the program curriculum and activities. It also increased half-day/Friday pay to $80.
• Board planning: The board set its retreat date for July 15 from 9 to 3 at MA’s East Campus and moved its regular meeting to Thursday, July 17.
• Executive session: The board ended its June 10 meeting with an executive session for negotiations regarding contracted financial services. The board ended its June 27 meeting with an executive session to discuss contract negotiations regarding the executive director.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting has moved to Thursday, July 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. The agenda and packet are available at bit.ly/ma-boarddocs.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy School Board articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)