Colorado Springs Schools Ombuds Sues After Administrators Seize Files
Colorado Springs School District 11, the central public school system in Colorado’s second-largest city, has been sued by its Ombuds, Natasha Bullard Ka’onohi. Her complaint alleges that Deputy Superintendent Brandan Comfort entered her office and removed confidential files, including a file containing informal employee complaints and concerns about Superintendent Michael Gaal. Ka’onohi, who has served as District 11’s Director of Equal Opportunity Programs & Ombudservice since 2023, filed the lawsuit against Comfort and Gaal on September 8. According to the district's website, the Ombudservice is an independent and confidential resource for students, parents, and staff, and does not keep written records.
According to the lawsuit, three to five confidential files, one of which was labeled "Superintendent," were removed from Ka’onohi’s locked office between February 2 and 6, and later returned to the wrong cabinet. Ka’onohi reported the alleged break-in to district security, which reviewed surveillance footage but determined that the cameras did not capture the office door or the alleged removal of the files. After Ka’onohi's initial complaint in May, District 11 retained an outside investigator, who did not substantiate allegations of wrongdoing by Gaal or Comfort. (Denver Gazette; KRDO 13; Colo Times Recorder; D11 Ombudservice.
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