Fairview students walk out, seek change,
Fairview students demand more from administrator during walkout
Students on Friday walked side by side down the hill and onto the turf of the football field outside Fairview High School.
Some stood together while others embraced each other as a sign of support.
The afternoon was not just a day for students to show encouragement to one another but to send a message to the school’s administration.
“We need change,” said Nik Worster, a senior at Fairview High School. “(Sexual assault and harassment) has progressed and gone on for too long. If everyone (walks out), more people will take it seriously.”
A majority of the student population from Fairview High School participated in a “walkout” Friday afternoon to bring attention to the administration’s handling of reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Students conducted a walkout April 9 for similar issues, but they said nothing has changed since. Now, they are demanding district leaders to step up and take action.
“I personally know people who have been affected by the fact that things haven’t changed,” said Annika Spilde, a senior at Fairview High School. “I’m frustrated by the fact that we haven’t done enough. I suppose it could never be
enough, but we can always be doing more.”
Spilde said the list of what students are demanding includes a public apology from Fairview High School’s administration for its lack of action to address the issues of sexual assault and harassment, resources such as therapy as well as continued education on assault, a continued effort to provide long-lasting sexual violence prevention services districtwide, open conversations and dialogue between the student body and administration and comprehensive long-term prevention programs for students and staff.
Fairview’s interim Principal Terry Gillach had an assembly for high school seniors earlier this month. But after the assembly, many parents and students said they felt they were being blamed, according to past reporting.
Gillach, a retired Boulder Valley principal, is serving as the interim principal while the school district investigates allegations made in a lawsuit that involve Fairview Principal Don Stensrud, who was recently placed on paid administrative leave.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Denver Post, was filed against Stensrud and the school district. The suit alleges that Fairview and Stensrud failed to investigate rape claims against a student athlete and “turned a blind eye to rampant sexual harassment and abuse.” Boulder police also investigated Stensrud for potentially obstructing the police’s sexual assault investigation involving another athlete, the school’s star quarterback, in 2019, according to records obtained by The Denver Post.
Another Fairview administrator, dean of students Nick Lenk, was recently suspended. He was hired by the district on Aug. 11. Randy Barber, chief communications officer for BVSD, said he couldn’t comment on the reason for the suspension because it’s a personnel issue.
Barber said the school district wants the students and families to know they were heard Friday.
“We recognize that many people in the situation are hurting,” he said. “We have families and staff members that are hurting in different ways, and we know that it’s going to take some time for us to rebuild trust.”
He said the district is working diligently to meet the demands the students laid out Friday and said the district is in the process of hiring a Title IX coordinator who will lead a partnership with the community.
“We recognize even though we have taken some first steps, we are only at the starting line,” he said. “We will be doing more, and we are committed to this not just today but long term.”
During the walkout Friday, Fairview high school student Susannah Roland shared a recent experience of when she was harassed in class. After reporting the incident to school faculty, she was simply told “boys will be boys.”
Raymond Garcia, prevention education specialist with Moving to End Sexual Assault in Lafayette, said that phrase is an excuse.
“Rape culture is more than physical, sexual violence,” he said. “It is allowing sexual harassment to go unchecked, it is a community where sexist jokes are the norm, it is a space where victims are blamed for the violence that happens to them.”
High school senior Allison Sanders said the walkout gave her the ability to be a part of the changes she hopes to see.
“It’s really important for me to support and address the sexual assault problem that we have here before I graduate instead of having it continuously be swept under the rug,” she said. “It’s really frustrating.”
Marlene and Chris Carvalho said their daughter attended Fairview High School and graduated last year. They provided students with speakers and a microphone for the walkout Friday.
“I wanted to amplify these young women’s voices, so that they are taken seriously,” Marlene Carvalho said.
Chris Carvalho said he coached ice hockey in the Boulder area for about 25 years and had strict policies about harassment or any misconduct on and off the ice.
“It is a big deal to me that this is not just about sports — it’s not just about competition,” he said. “It’s about life experience and what we teach the kids on the field or on the ice translates to the rest of their lives as far as behavior and showing respect for each other.”
Tracy Dundon, who has two kids in the district, said the walkout Friday served not just as an opportunity for students to speak but for parents to learn and become aware of what’s going on.
“I think I would like to encourage parents to become involved in this process,” she said. “It’s so important that their voices are heard as well and that we support the students that have been impacted by sexual violence.”