Drake Middle School removed “America, Reloading.” Then another poem fight started.
By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice
Drake Middle School parents were told last year that students could write spoken-word poems about politics or divisive issues if they personally chose those topics.
This spring, one DMS student wrote a pro-life poem about abortion.
School officials told the student she could turn the poem in for credit, but could not read it aloud in class.
Parents had already spent more than a year warning DMS and Jeffco leaders about the school’s SLAM poetry unit before the story spread nationally.
Parents objected to SLAM poetry unit in 2025
Parents began emailing DMS leadership in 2025 after students watched “America, Reloading” and “The Star Spanglish Banner” in class.
One email sent to teacher Tanisha Lee and DMS principal Jill Kline des...


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