DPS Announced Convicted Felon as Interim Principal Before Quickly Reversing Decision

By Nico Brambila | Denver Gazette

Denver Public Schools central office administrators informed parents in May that Peter Castillo would be the new interim principal at Denver School of the Arts — but they either didn’t know, or failed to disclose, that the retired educator was a convicted felon, The Denver Gazette has learned.

Officials with DPS said Castillo, 59, was never hired.

The incident, though, has ignited fresh doubts — at a time when parents have raised transparency concerns — about how DPS screens its leaders and communicates with families.

Parents say they trusted the central office to do its due diligence, only to learn Castillo was a convicted felon whose principal license was suspended after a DUI seriously injured another driver. The omission has amplified concerns about leadership judgment and accountability.

“To me, it’s less about Pete and more about a failure of the system,” said Theresa Peña, who served eight years on the Denver school board, four as president.

Peña added: “Good leaders always learn from mistakes.”

After the May 2 email, internet sleuths quickly discovered the Colorado State Board of Education had suspended Castillo’s license in 2024, citing unethical behavior.

Melissa Boyd, a district administrator overseeing high schools, and Christina Sylvester, operational service director, sent the announcement and DSA parents complained.

Board President Carrie Olson and Sylvester fielded some of those complaints.

A week later, Boyd and Sylvester sent a second email to parents. This one named Don Roy as interim principal.

“Last week we announced Pete Castillo as the Interim Principal,” the May 9 email said. “Since our last communication, we have shifted toward an Interim leader with a background in both the arts and in leading multiple school campuses as well as operational expertise.”

The incident underscores broader concerns about the district’s vetting process.

Neither Boyd nor Sylvester responded to an email request for comment.

Because the hiring involves personnel matters, district spokesperson Scott Pribble said he was limited in what he could share. Pribble called the initial announcement to parents “a mistake.”

“During the hiring process, information came to light that had not been previously disclosed,” Pribble said in an email to The Denver Gazette.

If there were missteps, the district hasn’t acknowledged them.

Olson, who fielded complaints about the issue, downplayed the lingering concerns.

“As for my opinion, I don’t know all the specifics of the case due to its operational nature, but it appears that any issues that existed were caught quickly and remedied,” Olson said in an email to The Denver Gazette.

‘Unfit to perform services’

Castillo retired after 27 years with the district, 13 as principal at Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy in southwest Denver.

“Today, it was with some sadness, some pride and some excitement that I inform you that I have chosen to retire from Denver Public Schools and as Executive Principal of Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy,” Castillo wrote on April 21, 2023.

Castillo added: “KCAA will always be in my heart as I start my new journey.”

What Castillo did not disclose was that this new journey included 120 days in jail.

Just a week earlier, Castillo pleaded guilty to felony vehicular assault that seriously injured another driver.

According to court documents, on April 30, 2022, Castillo was driving intoxicated at about 106 miles per hour on Colorado 470 in Douglas County and weaving around cars when he struck the rear end of another vehicle. The force of the collision caused both vehicles to rotate and travel across the express lanes, slamming into a concrete barrier.

A district court judge sentenced Castillo to 120 days in jail, four years of probation, 60 hours of community service and ordered him to pay $2,547 in restitution.

“The felony conviction resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, causing serious bodily injury to another person, and endangering others, in the State Board’s judgment, renders Respondent unfit to perform services authorized by his license,” according to the state board of education order dated Jan. 10, 2024.

Castillo waived his right to a statutory revocation hearing.

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