Days after a Denver elementary school faced backlash over its participation in the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, a man sneaked into the school on Monday to harass parents and staff.

In a letter sent to families, the principal of Centennial Elementary School said the man falsely posed as a parent wanting to enroll his child at the school to gain access to the building. Once inside, the man verbally abused parents and staff members, the letter said. The man then stood outside of the school holding a sign opposing critical race theory, harassing numerous parents picking up their children.

In addition, the school has received angry, vulgar emails and calls from people outside of Denver and outside of the state angry about the BLM School Week of Action, the letter said.

Denver elementary school receives backlash for participating in Black Lives Matter week of action

“By participating in the national Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, the school is creating age-appropriate spaces to start important conversations about how our unique perspectives and experiences are contributions to our society that should be celebrated,” Denver Public Schools said in a statement. “It is the mission of DPS to provide all students the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our diverse society.”

The national annual event — scheduled for Jan. 31 through Feb. 4 — encourages schools and educators to teach students about racial justice using 13 guiding principles. Last week, Parents Defending Education posted the guiding principles online, garnering national media attention.

The guiding principles include the acceptance and affirmation of transgender and queer people, as well as the encouragement of “Black villages,” described as “the disruption of Western nuclear family dynamics and a return to the ‘collective village’ that takes care of each other.”

Erika Sanzi, outreach director for the nonprofit Parents Defending Education, called the guiding principles “indoctrination” and bordering on “abuse.”

“It is preposterous and wholly inappropriate to teach 5- and 6-year-olds that they must commit to being trans affirming and queer affirming and in favor of disrupting the nuclear family,” Sanzi said in a statement. “If a parent wants to raise these subjects at home, that is one thing, but in a classroom, it is nothing more than social engineering and a theft of childhood by the state.”

The school said the event aligns with the Black Excellence Resolution signed by the Denver school board in 2019 to improve the school experience for Black students. This will be the second year Centennial Elementary School has participated in the BLM at School Week of Action.

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Of the 424 students who attend Centennial Elementary School, only three identify as African American, according to the Denver Public Schools website. Over 56% of the students — 239 — are white, 156 are Hispanic, 22 are of multiple races and four are Asian or Pacific Islander.

Centennial Elementary School is the only school in the district participating in BLM at School Week of Action, said Scott Pribble, a spokesman for Denver Public Schools. Just last month, the school was the target of national pushback following a viral tweet about its “Families of Color Playground Night,” which school leaders said was a result of specific requests from families to create a space of belonging.

Though the school described Monday’s incident as “disturbing,” it said officials do not believe any staff, parents or students were in immediate danger. The Denver Public Schools Department of Security will provide additional security at the school leading up to the BLM at School Week of Action, the letter said.

A spokesman for the Denver Police Department said the incident was not initially reported to police and will be handled internally by Denver Public Schools.