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Universal preschool bill dies as some Colorado programs still complain of bumps
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Universal preschool bill dies as some Colorado programs still complain of bumps

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado via The Colorado Sun Colorado’s $344 million universal preschool program is popular among families, but some providers say they’re still wrestling with problems that make it hard for families to secure seats or for preschools to sustain themselves financially. Some preschool directors want greater access to the state’s preschool sign-up system. Others want to be paid by the state before kids step into their classrooms — not a month later. Some providers also want more leeway on preschool class sizes, which the state will cap at 20 by 2026 for most preschools. These are a few of the sticking points that remain a year and a half after the rocky launch of universal preschool. State lawmakers proposed a bill meant to address these and other issues, ...
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A Broken System: The fight to protect our children from our own family courts
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

A Broken System: The fight to protect our children from our own family courts

By Heidi Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Parents and Grandparents, I have an important “to do" for you today (Thursday, Sept 5).  Can you come to the Ralph Carr Justice Center at 11am? It’s a critical opportunity to show up in a BIG way for mothers and children, rallying around one of the most important issues of our time, the protection of our children from abuse. One of my dear friends, Maralee McLean, is speaking about her daughter’s journey, her journey, and you won’t want to miss it. I met Maralee after I founded a non-profit called Moms Fight Back in 2013, to deal with the toughest issues we face as Moms, protecting our children from abuse, after my own daughter was sexually assaulted and treated horribly by our justice system.   Maralee sat with me...
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Colorado school district had trans-identifying female supervise young boys showering, lawsuit alleges
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Approved, Daily Wire, State

Colorado school district had trans-identifying female supervise young boys showering, lawsuit alleges

By  Mary Margaret Olohan | Daily Wire A Colorado school district has knowingly and repeatedly assigned children to bunk with members of the opposite sex on overnight trips, according to a lawsuit first obtained by The Daily Wire. Jefferson County School District’s “Transgender Students” policy requires that all students on overnight visits are to be roomed by their gender identity, rather than their actual sex. The district shared this policy with transgender-identifying students and chaperones, but not with students or their parents. The three families suing the district on behalf of their children — Joseph and Serena Wailes, Bret and Susanne Roller, and Robert and Jade Perlman — did not learn about the policies until their children found themselves rooming with students and chap...
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Colorado dad accuses school officials of retaliating against daughter after “embarrassing” viral video
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado dad accuses school officials of retaliating against daughter after “embarrassing” viral video

By Shaun Boyd | SOURCE: CBS COLORADO A seventh grader in Colorado is facing disciplinary action after a video she shot at recess went viral. "My daughter's so scared for by what she is witnessing, that she begins to record this video," said Aaron Frost, whose 12-year-old daughter shot the video. The video shows a group of students at Monarch PK-8 School in Louisville standing in a circle around a classmate on the ground. "Who is very clearly convulsing, twitching, writhing," he said. He says she was scared when the students began chanting, "sacrifice!" and "heil Satan!" "Is that for real? Is it for fun? Is it just a joke? No matter what it is, it's terrifying and shouldn't happen," he said. What happened next shocked him even more. READ FULL ARTICLE ON CBSNEWS.COM
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COLUMN: As school performance slumps, parents opt out | Jimmy Sengenberger
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Approved, gazette.com, State

COLUMN: As school performance slumps, parents opt out | Jimmy Sengenberger

By Jimmy Sengenberger | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE In the pandemic’s aftermath, Colorado’s public PreK-12 school system faces deteriorating enrollment. Contrary to the narrative spun by politicians, educrats and teachers union bosses — that the slump is simply due to demographic shifts, unaffordable housing and COVID-19 — it’s far from the full story. Last week, the Denver Gazette reported 1,800 fewer students were enrolled at the October count, a 0.20% year-over-year dip. While Colorado’s population burgeoned, education department data reveals public-school enrollment plunged by 30,024 students (3.3%) in the 2020-2021 school year — the state’s first drop since 1988. The subsequent rebound for 2021-2022 was modest, regaining just 3,318 students (0.38%). The statewide exodus continued,...
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EDITORIAL: The urgent need for more school choice in Colorado
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Approved, gazette.com, State

EDITORIAL: The urgent need for more school choice in Colorado

By The Gazette Editorial Board | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE The only downside to school choice in our state? There isn’t enough of it. It’s the right prescription for what ails Colorado’s public schools — an inoculation against the plague of malaise and abysmal performance at too many schools in too many communities. It’s why we salute the 14th annual National School Choice Week, which kicked off Sunday and runs through Saturday in Colorado and across the rest of the country. It’s a week in which school choice’s diverse advocates and supporters not only raise the movement’s profile for state policymakers but also reach out to parents to help them take advantage of the education options available to them. The observance, organized by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, wil...
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GUEST COLUMN: The child care workforce needs support
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Approved, gazette.com, National

GUEST COLUMN: The child care workforce needs support

By Gregory Martin | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE As we start this new year, I am taking the time to reflect on the selfless and dedicated people I have had the privilege of working alongside as a United States Air Force General. From the front lines to the halls of the Pentagon, I have witnessed the impact of thousands of individuals who serve with unwavering commitment. This group of individuals includes the service members who have volunteered to serve our nation, but it also includes the people who work tirelessly to ensure that the parents in the service are able to accomplish their missions with the knowledge that their children are in the best of hands — child care providers and early educators. In the military, we understand the importance of having a quality, qualified child care work...
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EDITORIAL: AG Weiser picks pot over Colorado’s kids
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

EDITORIAL: AG Weiser picks pot over Colorado’s kids

By The Gazette Editorial Board | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE Big Marijuana is waging a war on Colorado’s children — just as Big Tobacco has done for generations. High-potency concentrates are sold in nifty little packages and pre-loaded into disposable, battery-powered vape pens that can be concealed in a kid’s backpack or pocket. Then, they’re inhaled discreetly on the fly — maybe on the way to school — and tossed in the trash. No dreadlocks; no billowing, acrid smoke; no joints the size of a rolled-up newspaper. This ain’t your grandpa’s Dead concert. This is today’s kids — perhaps even your kids — and the power-packed pot derivatives they’re using are getting them higher than ever. Though technically off limits to minors, retail pot has played a pivotal role in undermining Colorado’...
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