Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Douglas County

Data Breach Spurs Colorado Law Enforcement to Seek More Reliable Alert Systems
DENVER7, Approved, State

Data Breach Spurs Colorado Law Enforcement to Seek More Reliable Alert Systems

By: Maggie Bryan | Denver7 CodeRED is an emergency alert platform used by dozens of Colorado agencies to notify residents about fire evacuations, active shooters, and weather advisories. DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Several Colorado law enforcement agencies say they're either terminating or reevaluating contracts with CodeRED, an emergency alert system, after the company fell victim to a cyber attack earlier this month. Crisis24, the company that owns the CodeRED platform, confirmed that data including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and passwords of users signed up for alerts may have been leaked in the data breach. Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said his office was not contacted by Crisis 24 until deputies tried to send out a CodeRED alert to residents ab...
Douglas County Middle School Teacher Arrested After Alleged Sexual Assualt
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Douglas County Middle School Teacher Arrested After Alleged Sexual Assualt

By: Brooke Williams | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — A teacher at Ranch View Middle School in Highlands Ranch was arrested on suspicion of multiple charges, including sexual assault on a child, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. Detectives with the agency’s Special Victims Unit arrested Teresa Whalin, 28, of Centennial, on Nov. 10 on the following charges: Sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, pattern of abuse Internet exploitation of a child Stalking Whalin was the gym teacher and was placed on administrative leave. The sheriff’s office said she has been employed by the Douglas County School District since July 2021. Affidavit: Relationship went on for over a year According to the arrest affidavit obtained by FOX31 on Wednesday,...
Colorado Safe2Tell Reports Hit Record High as Student Concerns Surge
kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Safe2Tell Reports Hit Record High as Student Concerns Surge

By Jacob Factor | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado students made a record number of reports last school year to Safe2Tell, which the Colorado Attorney General’s Office said revealed “progress and pain” as students trust the program more but continue to face challenges. The 2024-2025 school year saw students make 31,177 reports to Safe2Tell, an 11% increase from the previous year and the highest number of reports since the organization launched in 2004. “This report tells two stories at once,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a press release. “It shows incredible courage and compassion. Students are stepping up to protect one another in record numbers. But it’s also a reminder that our kids are not okay. These reports reflect real distress, and our collective respo...
Charter Renewals, Transgender Athlete Rules Dominate Douglas County Board Debate
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Charter Renewals, Transgender Athlete Rules Dominate Douglas County Board Debate

By: Olivia Young | CBS Colorado Updated on: November 11, 2025 / 10:24 PM MST / CBS Colorado As of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, the Douglas County School Board had not yet voted on a controversial resolution regarding charter schools in the Colorado county. Douglas County residents packed the final school board meeting under the current board. Last week, voters chose a progressive slate of school board candidates who ran on a campaign of data over politics, teacher retention and equal opportunities for students, flipping the board. Clark Callahan, Kyrzia Parker, Tony Ryan and Kelly Denzler are expected to be sworn in in early December, joining like-minded current members Brad Geiger, Susan Meek and Valerie Thompson. The outgoing board members are Kim Moore, Becky Meyers,...
Heidi Ganahl and Tori Stork end the “DougCo Dirty Dozen” with a warning to voters
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Heidi Ganahl and Tori Stork end the “DougCo Dirty Dozen” with a warning to voters

By RMV Staff | Rocky Mountain Voice If Colorado’s education battles mirror the nation’s divide, Douglas County may be the front line. After two weeks and twelve hard-hitting episodes, Heidi Ganahl and her daughter, Tori Stork (formerly Ganahl), have made their case through the “Douglas County Dirty Dozen” video series: the state’s most conservative district is facing a coordinated push from national unions and progressive networks intent on steering local classrooms away from parents and community values. The First Six: Unions, Books, and Boundaries Heidi Ganahl's first six videos exposed the growing influence of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in Douglas County. Four candidates—Kyrzia Parker, Clark Callahan, Tony Ryan, and Kelly Denzler—each received $2,500 from AFT Col...
Douglas County Candidates Debate Safety, Fairness in Sports, and a Teachers’ Role
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Douglas County Candidates Debate Safety, Fairness in Sports, and a Teachers’ Role

By: Olivia Young | CBS Colorado In two weeks, Douglas County voters will weigh in on who will shape the next chapter of public education in their Colorado community. Eight candidates are vying for four open spots on the Douglas County School District RE-1 Board of Education. While the race is nonpartisan, one slate of four candidates is more conservative, and another slate of four candidates is more progressive. The board is comprised of seven members in total. Clark Callahan, a charter school administrator, former teacher and father of three DCSD students, is part of the progressive Community's Voice, Community's Choice slate, along with Kyrzia Parker, Tony Ryan and Kelly Denzler. "I really want to help create a system that works for all kids," Callahan told CBS Colo...
Opt-in vs opt-out: The parental rights debate over the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Opt-in vs opt-out: The parental rights debate over the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Where do you land as a parent: opt in vs. opt out? The article below is about a recent Douglas County school board decision about participation in the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. This is a survey that, quoting the article, includes topics such as “... physical activity, mental health, tobacco and substance use, and school safety and bullying. The high school survey includes demographic questions about sexual orientation, sexual health and sexual violence questions.” It also has questions on teens’ perceived access to guns. The board didn’t vote to not participate, they moved the decision to take it from opt in to opt out. Going forward, parents will have to allow their students to participate rather than rememberin...
Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County Secures Land for Massive Zebulon Sports Hub

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette Douglas County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a crucial land exchange deal to build a massive sports complex on land previously bought by developers of Colorado’s largest master-planned community. The county partnered with Sterling Ranch to create plans for a 500-acre sports complex in northwest Douglas County called Zebulon. The land transfer impacts 46.5 acres of land planned to be the project’s first phase and will include a sports facility with hockey rinks, gyms, baseball and soccer fields. “The amendment provides Douglas County with an additional 34.2 acres of land in a configuration that is intended to facilitate development of a sports complex,” county staff said Tuesday in a presentation to commissioners. The ...
Is Rep. Marshall’s narrow 2024 win now at risk in Douglas County?
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Is Rep. Marshall’s narrow 2024 win now at risk in Douglas County?

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Bob Marshall (D-HD43) represents one of Colorado’s most politically mixed suburban districts, covering parts of Highlands Ranch and Littleton. The area is built around families, good schools, and a long-standing belief in local control and fiscal restraint. Marshall often calls himself a centrist Democrat and a retired Marine who puts people before politics. But his voting record at the Capitol tells a different story.  Marshall once appealed to a wide mix of voters. Whether that still holds is an open question, especially given how much the mood in Douglas County has changed. Prices have climbed. Crime feels closer. And faith in state leaders is wearing thin. Out of Douglas County’s 323,000 regist...
Beyond the rhetoric: Schools, unions, and the battle for objective truth in education
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Beyond the rhetoric: Schools, unions, and the battle for objective truth in education

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In Part One, Laureen Boll examined how literacy challenges, COVID-era policies, and parental authority define Colorado’s education debate. In this second installment, she shifts focus to the role of schools, the influence of teachers’ unions, and the clash over objective truth — issues she argues will shape the outcome of this November’s school board elections. The Role of Schools DCSD recently voted in favor of requiring parental consent, or “opt-in,” for students to participate in the upcoming Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, also known as HKCS. HKCS is an anonymous survey that is offered to all school districts in the state every-other-year, and much of the information that’s collected from middle and high school students is...