Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Education

Inside the Radical Agenda Shaping America’s Top Teaching College
The Federalist, Approved, National

Inside the Radical Agenda Shaping America’s Top Teaching College

By Catherine Gripp| The Federalist “Even my teacher at the first day of class, she said, ‘everything is political,’ and I didn’t understand what she meant until I started doing the content.” Adrianna Mobley should have been excited to be accepted to Michigan State University’s elementary education program, ranked the top elementary program in the nation. Excited, that is, until she stepped into her “Social Foundations of Justice and Equity in Education” class this fall. Required for all elementary education majors, the class dives deep into the demonization of free market principles, meritocracy, and American values. Higher education isn’t a vacuum. Colleges of education and far-left teachers unions are known to push curriculum satura...
School District Faces Backlash After Banning Bible Verse in Student Artwork
BizPac Review, Approved, Local

School District Faces Backlash After Banning Bible Verse in Student Artwork

By: Chris Donaldson | BizPac Review A Colorado high school set off a free speech battle after it refused to allow a Christian senior to use religious imagery to decorate her personal parking spot in what she says is a violation of her First Amendment rights. Sophia Shumaker was only looking to express her faith when she submitted her original design depicting a shepherd, a sheep, and a Bible verse to Rampart High School, only to have it denied because the school’s guidelines prohibit anything that is “offensive, negative, rude, gang-related, political, or religious.” “The shepherd and the sheep, the 99 sheep basically represent the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to go find the lost one,” she told Fox 21 News. https://twitter.com/FOX21News/status/1981405727550763392 ...
Angela Lema’s commitment keeps District 51 Schools grounded in results
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Angela Lema’s commitment keeps District 51 Schools grounded in results

By Sara Fletcher | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Angela Lema stands as the embodiment of principled leadership and steadfast commitment in her role as a District 51 school board Director. Her contributions have had a meaningful effect on District 51 families and staff, underpinned by her extensive experience as a trade school owner and active community member for nearly twenty years. Throughout her career, Angela has guided countless young adults into the valley’s workforce, fulfilling the roles of mentor, teacher, and respected business owner. Significant Committee Work and Project Oversight Among Angela’s notable achievements is her dedication to committee work, particularly her three-year involvement with the Owners, Architect, and Contractors Special Committee. She pa...
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...
Why is Denver trying to buy Western Slope school boards?
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Why is Denver trying to buy Western Slope school boards?

By Christy Anderson | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the Grand Junction area you may have seen flyers in your mailbox accusing our current school board members, Andrea Haitz, Angela Lema and “Willie” (Will) Jones of being “enemies” who “cannot be trusted.” These false attack ads come from Denver’s “Students Deserve Better” campaign. After digging into the financials, Students Deserve Better is also majorly funded by none other than the Colorado Education Association.  The teachers union has a long history that started in the 1970s of using money to influence local elections, but this year’s spending is unprecedented. The Colorado Education Association (CEA) is pouring tens of thousands of dollars into our local school board race to regain control and push their highly...
Police Arrest Student After Threat Against Ralston Valley High School Following Evergreen Tragedy
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Police Arrest Student After Threat Against Ralston Valley High School Following Evergreen Tragedy

By: Heather Willard | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — A juvenile is in police custody after allegedly making a false threat against Ralston Valley High School just hours after the Evergreen High School shooting. The Arvada Police Department said that it arrested the suspect on Oct. 14 after investigating hundreds of Safe2Tell reports related to the social media threat directed toward the high school. The FBI also assisted with the investigation at that time, the police department said. The threat led to about 1,100 students choosing not to attend school on Sept. 11 — the day after the Evergreen High School shooting. The social media threat involved a photo shared with multiple students on Snapchat that allegedly showed a rifle, ammunition and a magazine lying on a table. A text capt...
Power first, children last: The true legacy of Randi Weingarten’s teachers union
TownHall.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Power first, children last: The true legacy of Randi Weingarten’s teachers union

By Natalya Murakhver | Commentary, Townhall When America looks back at the COVID era, history will not be kind to Randi Weingarten and the American Federation of Teachers. At a time when our nation’s children needed leadership, compassion, and courage, Weingarten delivered none of it. Instead, she manipulated the crisis of school closures to expand her own political influence, sacrificing the futures of millions of kids and betraying the trust of parents across this country. Let’s be clear: school closures were not primarily about health or science. They were about power. From the very beginning, teachers’ unions lobbied aggressively to keep schools closed far longer than necessary. They pressured public health officials and the CDC to rewrite guidelines in ways that served union int...
Parental Rights Debate Deepens After Supreme Court Rejects Colorado Case
CBS News, Approved, State

Parental Rights Debate Deepens After Supreme Court Rejects Colorado Case

By Melissa Quinn | CBS News Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid to revive a lawsuit brought by two Colorado families who alleged their parental rights were violated when their children attended school-sponsored club meetings that included discussions of gender identity and sexuality and were allegedly discouraged from telling their parents about it. Though the high court turned away the case, Justices Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, wrote separately to express concern with what Alito said was an unwillingness by courts to confront whether a school district violates parents' rights when it encourages a student's gender transition without the parents' knowledge or consent. "Petitioners tell us that nearly 6,000 public schoo...
School Board Hopefuls Promise Accountability After Turbulent DPS Years
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

School Board Hopefuls Promise Accountability After Turbulent DPS Years

By Nico Brambila | The Denver Gazette While candidates will say every election is consequential, the four seats on the ballot next month could reshape the Denver Public Schools Board of Education and chart a new course for Colorado’s largest school district. On Tuesday, EDUCATE Denver held a candidate forum along with ChalkBeat Colorado and CBS News at Regis University. “We think leadership at the board level impacts the education of our students,” said Nan Baumbusch, EDUCATE Denver staff director. Formed in 2022, EDUCATE Denver is a diverse coalition of civic leaders and community organizations whose mission is to advocate for a “high-quality DPS education,” according to the group’s website. “For this reason, voting in a board election is important whether you have a studen...
Why the Douglas County School Board Election on November 4th  Matters More Than Ever
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Why the Douglas County School Board Election on November 4th  Matters More Than Ever

By Andy Jones | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As the leaves turn in Douglas County, so does the page to another pivotal moment in our community's story: the school board election on November 4, 2025. For parents juggling carpools, teachers fine-tuning lesson plans, and students eyeing college applications, this vote might feel like just another item on a crowded ballot. But in a district that has clawed its way back from the depths of COVID-19 disruptions to become a beacon of educational excellence, the stakes couldn't be higher.  The Douglas County School District (DCSD) led by a conservative majority, has engineered a remarkable turnaround since 2022, with soaring graduation rates, top-tier test scores, and innovative programs that are the envy of the state. Yet, thi...