Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Education policy

What schools won’t say: The furry behavior Colorado families keep reporting
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories

What schools won’t say: The furry behavior Colorado families keep reporting

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Rumors about students dressing as animals and disrupting classrooms have circulated throughout Colorado for years, sparking political fights, school board blowback and media denials. Some say the “furries in schools” narrative is a hoax pushed by conservative figures. But school records, parent testimony and disciplinary documents tell a more complicated story. First signs: When parents spoke up and were ignored The saga gained momentum in 2022 when more than two dozen parents in Jefferson County bombarded school officials with concerns. Darlene Edwards, a mother whose 14-year-old autistic son attended a local middle school, told CBS Colorado her son returned home upset, describing classmates in animal costumes scratching,...
Gimelshteyn: Don’t blame Trump—Colorado’s education crisis was created by failed state and local leadership
Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Gimelshteyn: Don’t blame Trump—Colorado’s education crisis was created by failed state and local leadership

By Lori A. Gimelshteyn | Commentary, Colorado Politics According to the 2024 Colorado Measures of Academic Standards (CMAS) results, an alarming seven in 10 students in Denver Public Schools (DPS) are not meeting grade-level expectations in math and nearly 60% of students are not proficient in English. That is not a small gap; it is a catastrophic failure. But instead of taking responsibility, DPS and progressive politicians are pointing fingers at the federal government, pretending they had no warning of federal funding requirements, all while defending classrooms increasingly focused on ideology instead of academics. On July 2, CBS Colorado reported the Trump administration froze nearly $7 billion in federal education funding nationwide, including $70 million earmarked for Colo...
Douglas County Residents Voice Concerns as John Adams Academy Moves In
Local, Approved, CBS News

Douglas County Residents Voice Concerns as John Adams Academy Moves In

By Olivia Young | CBS News A fast-growing Colorado community will soon be home to two new schools that are set to open in the next two years. A tuition-free public K-12 charter school, John Adams Academy, has been approved to open in 2026 on 25 acres of land in Douglas County donated by Sterling Ranch LLC. The school will be located in Sterling Ranch, south of Waterton Road and adjacent to Ascent Village. John Adams Academy was approved by the Colorado Charter School Institute last month after being released to the state authorizer by the Douglas County School District. Some community members say that process didn't allow them to fully voice concerns over where their tax dollars were going. A DCSD public elementary school funded by a bond passed last year is set to open in Ster...
Enos: One Big Beautiful Bill? Encouraging news for homeschool freedom—and reason to stay engaged
Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, National

Enos: One Big Beautiful Bill? Encouraging news for homeschool freedom—and reason to stay engaged

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado By now, everyone has heard about the passage of HR1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, by our Federal Congress. President Trump signed the bill into law on the 4th of July, before the fireworks began exploding in Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 249th birthday. The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) was included in the legislation. Passing the bill was a monumental event, with the Trump Administration touting it as its signature achievement. It is important to note that the Education Scholarship donations provided for in the bill are made by individuals and are, therefore, private monies. They are not tax dollars. Delmarva claims that “this structure is intended to address c...
America First: Trump shuts door on taxpayer-funded tuition for illegal immigrants
Daily Wire, Approved, National

America First: Trump shuts door on taxpayer-funded tuition for illegal immigrants

By Jayden Jelso | Daily Wire The move was part of the White House's broader effort to restrict taxpayer-funded services to citizens. The Department of Education is ending a Clinton-era rule allowing illegal aliens access to federally funded tuition programs. According to The Daily Caller, the Trump administration argues that the policy, which funds career, technical, and adult education programs, violates the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The Education Department notified postsecondary education programs that the rule would no longer apply and declared that providers have “obligations to verify the eligibility of participants.” This was one of several such moves the White House announced today. The Department of Health ...
Biology vs identity: SCOTUS to rule on transgender athlete bans
Fox News, Approved, National

Biology vs identity: SCOTUS to rule on transgender athlete bans

By Paulina Dedaj , Bill Mears , Shannon Bream | Fox News Oral arguments centered on 2 cases in Idaho and West Virginia are expected to be heard in the fall The Supreme Court decided Thursday to review state bans on transgender athletes participating in public school sports. Oral arguments will likely be heard later this fall regarding two cases in Idaho and West Virginia. Both cases are focused on state laws that prevent biological males from competing on girls’ and women's sports teams. West Virginia, which enacted the "Save Women’s Sports Act" in 2021, is appealing a lower-court ruling that allowed transgender athlete Becky Pepper-Jackson to compete on the school’s cross-country and track teams. This past year, Pepper-Jackson qualified for the West Virginia gir...
UPenn caves to Title IX truth: Women’s sports get apology, restored records
Fox News, Approved, National

UPenn caves to Title IX truth: Women’s sports get apology, restored records

By Jackson Thompson | Fox News School will issue public statement adopting biology-based definitions and apologize to female swimmers affected by trans athlete FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that the University of Pennsylvania has agreed to a resolution with President Donald Trump's administration to keep biological male trans athletes out of women's sports, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. The department previously launched an investigation into UPenn on Feb. 6 for Title IX violations that occurred in the swimming program. Trans athlete Lia Thomas competed for the women's team in the 2021-22 season, after previously competing for the men's team.  "Today, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) announced the...
D-11 school board votes to adopt policy requiring sports participation based on biological sex
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

D-11 school board votes to adopt policy requiring sports participation based on biological sex

By Grace Brajkovich | Denver Gazette During a special meeting on Wednesday, Colorado Springs' District 11 became the second El Paso County school district to approve a new policy requiring students to participate in school sports based on their biological sex. The D-11 Board of Education voted 6-1 to approve policy JBA-Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports, which will classify sports teams as either “male, men or boys,” “female, women or girls” or “coed, mixed or open.” This will ensure that students aren’t allowed to participate in sports, be present in locker rooms, or lodge in hotels with the opposite biological sex.    Board Director Julie Ott cast the only dissenting vote.  "This policy is illegal. It goes against Colorado law. This poli...
Enos: Colorado’s war on parental rights isn’t over—it’s escalating
Approved, Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Commentary, State

Enos: Colorado’s war on parental rights isn’t over—it’s escalating

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado Colorado is on a roll. Violating religious liberty and compelling free speech are two issues that Colorado Courts have already been reprimanded for. Our Courts lost two civil rights lawsuits – Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission and 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis – in addition to being overturned by the United States Supreme Court in the decision that was supposed to throw Donald Trump off the 2024 Colorado Presidential Election ballot. Now, we are doing it all over again. On Friday, May 16th, Governor Polis quietly signed HB25-1312, Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals, into law. There was no ceremony or statement from the Governor, just an administrative signature. When...
Two investigations signal Education Department’s pivot from Pride Month to Title IX enforcement
Approved, Daily Wire, National, State

Two investigations signal Education Department’s pivot from Pride Month to Title IX enforcement

By Mary Margaret Olohan | Daily Wire The news bears a stark contrast to the June celebrations of President Joe Biden's Education Department. WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s Education Department has declared June “Title IX Month” in recognition of the 53rd anniversary of the historic legislation’s passage, The Daily Wire has learned. The department will spend June highlighting the Trump administration’s actions taken to protect female sports and spaces, as well as reversing the weaponization of Title IX that took place during the previous administration. The festivities offer a stark contrast to the Biden Education Department’s “Pride Month” celebrations, which focused on gender ideology, critical race theory, and DEI. The Daily Wire can also first report that the Education ...