DPS Fires Teacher After Students Report Pressure To Participate In Same Sex Kissing Skits

By: Logan Smith | CBS Colorado

Denver Public Schools board members voted unanimously May 20 to dismiss a 50-year-old foreign language teacher following a district investigation and an independent review into student complaints about a class assignment.

The board voted 7-0 after meeting in executive session to consider the firing of Jennifer Honka. Honka taught French Language and Culture at Northeast Early College for all of her eight years with the district. Officially, Honka was fired for incompetence and neglect of duty. There was no public debate among the board members prior to the vote.

Honka’s classroom instruction first came into question during the 2023-24 school year. She had received the highest possible rating in district assessments the prior three years. But then students approached other teachers and complained about skits in Honka’s class in which they were asked to kiss one another. 

According to the independent review, issued on April 30th, a copy of which was obtained by CBS Colorado, those students were always the same sex. 

One student told an NEC chemistry teacher about the skits in April 2024. 

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