Air Academy Withheld Team Over Racial Safety Fears, Emails Reveal

The Oct. 9 homecoming football game between Air Academy High School and Lutheran High School of Parker was never played, but the official reason given to the public differed from the internal justification cited by the coaching staff. Air Academy announced the forfeit due to a lack of available coaches, a statement that omitted the specific allegations of racial mistreatment that the head football coach claimed were the primary driver of the decision.

According to internal emails obtained via the Colorado Open Records Act, Waymond Jackson, the head football coach and dean at Air Academy, told district leaders he would not expose his players to possible racial abuse. Jackson wrote on Oct. 5 that his decision was not about football, but about whether the kids were safe. He stated that as a Black man responsible for young people in the district, he would not knowingly send students, managers, and families into a setting where they might face racial abuse.

The conflict originated during a Sept. 24 game at Lutheran against Sand Creek High School. Several Sand Creek cheerleaders and their coach reported that Lutheran students and community members made racist remarks and gestures. These included calling Black cheerleaders Harriet Tubman, using slurs, whipping belts toward them, and telling them to go back to where they came from. Jackson also cited claims from Rampart High School staff that Lutheran participants directed slurs at Rampart families, describing the behavior as disgusting and foul. He noted that the reports came from two schools across three games and two levels of play.

The Academy District 20 administration appeared to prefer a quieter approach to the dispute. In an Oct. 5 email, Becky Harris, the district's assistant superintendent for learning services, directed Principal Amy Ripperger to respect Jackson's decision but instructed him not to tell his staff or students. Air Academy flag football coach Barry Clark told a parent in a separate Oct. 5 email that the district would not back the school if it declined to play. On Oct. 7, Ripperger wrote that the team had zero coaches willing to coach on Friday night.

Jackson criticized the district's stance in his correspondence, calling it a slap in the face that Academy District 20 had not backed the decision not to play. He asked the district to formally support the decision and share it with Lutheran and the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). The district's Oct. 8 statement said it had worked with both schools to hold the game, limiting visiting fans and adding security. It stated that individual decisions affected the level of coaching participation available. District communications chief Mark Belcher said individual staff emails do not always reflect district positions and may lack context.

Players later stated they backed the forfeit as a protest of the alleged conduct by students and adults at the Lutheran game against Sand Creek. The Colorado High School Activities Association has found that Lutheran spectators and participants used discriminatory language and behaviors across multiple football and basketball events. CHSAA has threatened suspension unless the school completes a corrective action plan. Lutheran executive director Dan Gehrke said the school condemns racism and will meet every CHSAA requirement. He added that the school regretted that students lost the chance to compete.

In response to the controversy, a Lutheran parent coalition launched an online fundraiser for security and legal action involving CHSAA, media outlets, and individuals who accused the school community of racism. As of Thursday, the group had raised more than $53,000 toward a $500,000 goal. Lutheran plays Montrose on Friday, its first game since the controversy emerged. Coronado High School also forfeited its game against Lutheran.

Jackson told The Post he is not allowed to speak with the media regarding the matter. The internal emails show a split inside the district between the coach taking a stand and administrators who appeared to want the matter kept quiet. The district stated it limited visiting fans to families of Lutheran players and added security for the scheduled game. The forfeit stands as the official record, with the public announcement citing coaching availability as the sole reason.