A fired Colorado school district official was found dead on Wednesday amid allegations he was involved in possessing child pornography, authorities said on Thursday.
David Weiss was fired as chief of schools for Jeffco Public Schools on Dec. 19 but was not arrested. The Washington County Sheriff's Office in Maryland notified the Jefferson County, Colorado Sheriff's Office on Wednesday it was conducting a death investigation into Weiss, the Colorado office said.
Weiss was in Maryland with family to celebrate the holidays at the time of his death, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The Washington County Sheriff's Office told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) that an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office recently opened an investigation into allegations Weiss was involved in possessing "child sexual assault material." The sheriff's office said its investigation will continue despite his death.
The district told 9News Denver last month, following Weiss' termination, that it had been directed by authorities not to share details about the matter.
The chief of schools position at Jeffco Public Schools leads the district's department of school leadership, according to 9News. The position reportedly involves overseeing student achievement and school effectiveness. As of Dec. 24, Weiss was no longer listed on the Jefferson County Public Schools website; his position was listed as vacant.
Weiss' LinkedIn profile indicated that he had been in the position since 2022 and was on the Jeffco STEM Advisory Committee. The profile also noted that Weiss worked in public education for 20 years, having held jobs as principal at Lakewood's Westgate Elementary, as a high school principal, and as a middle school math teacher before he became Chief of Schools for Jefferson County.
In a Thursday press release by Superintendent Tracy Dorland and Board President Mary Parker, the school district said, "The safety of all children, especially our Jeffco students, is our top priority, and we will continue to fully support the JCSO in their ongoing investigation."
The officials said they do not believe the school's internet network was used by Weiss for possessing materials. They added they have "a zero-tolerance policy for any employee behavior that threatens the health and safety of our students, and we use and regularly update cybersecurity software and firewalls that prevent staff and students from accessing inappropriate or harmful material on Jeffco networks and devices."
