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Judge rejects Denver Public Schools’ attempt to block Trump ICE guidance
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local, Top Stories

Judge rejects Denver Public Schools’ attempt to block Trump ICE guidance

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado A federal judge on Friday rejected Denver Public Schools’ attempt to reinstate a federal policy that treated schools as “sensitive locations” where immigration enforcement should only take place if there is immediate danger to the public. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico said there is little practical difference between the prior policy, the last iteration of which was issued in 2021 under former President Biden, and a pair of memos issued by the Trump administration in January. “The concern was that there would be no limitations or no protections for schools, necessarily, under the new memo,” Domenico said in a ruling from the bench. “That is an overstatement. And the fact that there have been no actions on school property in the ...
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District 11 school board votes for parental consent in name change policy
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Approved, Fox21, Local

District 11 school board votes for parental consent in name change policy

By Norishka Pachot | Fox 21 News The Colorado Springs School District 11 (D11) Board of Education has voted to integrate a new name-change policy that would require parental consent. The new ACA policy directs the superintendent to develop a process for a student to request the use of a chosen name to reflect their gender identity. Therefore, students and parents/guardians must request a change to their legal name or gender on their official student record, and it would only be recognized after parents were notified. The new policy has sparked conversations about discrimination and even ‘sidestepping’ a state law. According to board member Julie Ott, the school board had received many emails about the subject, which the board hadn’t “in a long time on one subject.” READ THE FUL...
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Superintendent’s cuts result in $5M in annual savings from 38 central office positions
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

Superintendent’s cuts result in $5M in annual savings from 38 central office positions

By Nicole C. Brambila | Colorado Politics, via The Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero laid off dozens of employees in the central office to save the district roughly $5 million annually. The 38 eliminated positions will be effective July 1, according to a memo sent to staff on Friday. “We are facing great uncertainty compounded by significant concerns for our future funding from both the state and national levels,” Marrero wrote. “This all comes on top of a period of declining birth rates and lower enrollment across our city and the nation. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Rural Colorado schools already hurting for resources could be choked by proposed funding cuts
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Rural Colorado schools already hurting for resources could be choked by proposed funding cuts

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun Like many of Colorado’s school districts, particularly those in rural areas, Hinsdale County School District RE-1 in Lake City keeps its classrooms humming with a bare-bones, but scrappy, staff.  There’s the English teacher who also instructs AP courses and offers drama and personal finance classes; the social studies teacher who also teaches concurrent enrollment classes so high schoolers can earn college credits; and the school counselor who doubles as a licensed teacher, managing courses in cybersecurity, career and technical education and concurrent enrollment. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Do just 2 in 5 Colorado fourth graders meet expectations in math?
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Do just 2 in 5 Colorado fourth graders meet expectations in math?

By Por Jaijongkit | The Colorado Sun Around 42% of fourth graders in public schools tested at or above their grade level in math in standardized testing. Results come from the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress, administered to fourth and eighth graders once every two years.  The NAEP measures whether students can demonstrate grade-level proficiency and apply their knowledge to real-world situations.  Colorado’s average fourth grade math score was 239 out of 500, compared with the national average of 237. The percentage of students scoring at or above grade level rose to 42% from 36% in 2022.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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D-11 teachers union rallies outside of schools, calls for collective bargaining restoration
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, Local

D-11 teachers union rallies outside of schools, calls for collective bargaining restoration

By Eric Young and O'Dell Isaac | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette Frigid temperatures didn’t stop Colorado Springs School District 11’s teacher union from making a statement Wednesday morning. Members of the Colorado Springs Education Association gathered outside of multiple schools carrying signs and chanting ahead of their start times for a solidarity walk-in following the recent dissolution of their collective bargaining agreement. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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How Jeffco Kids First exposed a school cover-up that made international headlines
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

How Jeffco Kids First exposed a school cover-up that made international headlines

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A Jefferson County teacher lost her license after an alleged grooming scandal involving a student at Columbine High School. The more disturbing revelation? School officials allegedly not only failed to stop it, but facilitated a fraudulent federal declaration to help the student move in with another teacher — all without notifying her parents. Leann Kearney, a social studies teacher at Columbine, allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student, according to state investigators. The student’s mother discovered thousands of alleged calls and text messages between the two, including a letter detailing a kiss.  But rather than stepping in to protect the student, Jeffco school staff active...
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Denver school district sues to prevent federal agents from arresting immigrants
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver school district sues to prevent federal agents from arresting immigrants

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette Denver Public Schools filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prevent federal agents from arresting unauthorized immigrants at schools. If approved, the order filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday would pause implementation while the case proceeds through the legal system. Bill Good, a Denver Public Schools spokesperson, said that he believes the lawsuit is the first in the country filed by a school district. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Democrat-led SB 63, seeking to curb library book challenges, clears first hurdle
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Democrat-led SB 63, seeking to curb library book challenges, clears first hurdle

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado’s public schools would be required to have policies governing school library book challenges, and only parents with students at a school would be allowed to challenge a book in that school’s library. These are some of the provisions of a school library bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle Monday evening, advancing out of the Senate Education Committee in a 5-2 vote. The bill represents the second attempt by Democratic lawmakers to curb school library book removals and protect school librarians from retaliation for doing their jobs. A similar school library bill died during the 2024 legislative session, though a separate one focused on public libraries passed. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Proposal would result in once-a-decade adjusting of Denver school boundaries
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Proposal would result in once-a-decade adjusting of Denver school boundaries

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools’ superintendent would have to “analyze and adjust” school enrollment boundaries every 10 years or less under a proposal being considered by the school board. Board member Scott Esserman, who introduced the proposal Thursday, said it was a long time coming. The district hasn’t systematically reviewed its school boundaries in several decades, since it was the subject of a school desegregation lawsuit that led to widespread busing. The proposal, known as Executive Limitation 19, would require the superintendent to analyze and adjust school boundaries in conjunction with the federal Census. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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