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Parents vs. unions: The battle over Mesa County’s schools
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Parents vs. unions: The battle over Mesa County’s schools

By Kent Zook | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The same people and organizations trying to replace District 51 School board members, Andrea Haitz, Will Jones, and Angela Lema are the ones responsible for neglecting our schools in the first place. Previous board leadership allowed facilities to deteriorate to the point that repair costs became unfeasible. Union-backed leaders pushed for schools to remain closed longer during COVID-19 and for students to continue masking despite mounting evidence that masks did little to prevent transmission. On August 17, 2021, under the old union-backed board, a public meeting abruptly ended after just 30 minutes of comment, even though 45 minutes had been allotted. The board members, backed by the union, simply walked out with a police escort...
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Douglas County Candidates Debate Safety, Fairness in Sports, and a Teachers’ Role
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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...
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‘Feeling safe is a privilege’: Jeffco board member’s remark sparks outrage after school shooting
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

‘Feeling safe is a privilege’: Jeffco board member’s remark sparks outrage after school shooting

By Adria Iraheta | Denver7 Denver7 heard from several parents who were upset by Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education Member Erin Kenworthy's remarks. JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — More than a month after the shooting at Evergreen High School, school safety remains top of mind for families across Jefferson County. Parents voiced their concerns during a Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education meeting Thursday. Many of those parents were directly impacted by the tragedy that rocked the community on Sept. 10. “Our most important job is to protect our children, and what we’re doing right now is not working,” said Evergreen resident Kim Halligan. Emotions ran high Thursday as community members made their pleas for improved school safety measures across the district, inc...
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“They don’t care”: Unleashed podcast spotlights Durango parents’ loss of trust
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

“They don’t care”: Unleashed podcast spotlights Durango parents’ loss of trust

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Hunter Opilla didn’t expect to speak at a school board meeting when his family moved to Durango two years ago. But after learning about the district’s gender bathroom policy—and the board’s decision to reverse a superintendent directive—he says he felt he had no choice. “Just blank stares,” Opilla recalled on a recent episode of Heidi Ganahl’s Unleashed podcast. “The board never responded to my emails.” Ganahl’s latest podcast brings together a concerned father and a charter school founder to unpack what they call a pattern of political overreach and parental exclusion in Durango Schools. The conversation echoes issues previously covered by Rocky Mountain Voice in its Dirty Dozen series and recent reporting on board transparency and trust. Th...
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Beyond the rhetoric: Schools, unions, and the battle for objective truth in education
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Beyond the rhetoric: Schools, unions, and the battle for objective truth in education

By Laureen Boll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In Part One, Laureen Boll examined how literacy challenges, COVID-era policies, and parental authority define Colorado’s education debate. In this second installment, she shifts focus to the role of schools, the influence of teachers’ unions, and the clash over objective truth — issues she argues will shape the outcome of this November’s school board elections. The Role of Schools DCSD recently voted in favor of requiring parental consent, or “opt-in,” for students to participate in the upcoming Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, also known as HKCS. HKCS is an anonymous survey that is offered to all school districts in the state every-other-year, and much of the information that’s collected from middle and high school students is...
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Why the Douglas County School Board Election on November 4th  Matters More Than Ever
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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...
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VSSA teacher apologizes—debate persists over classroom remarks about Charlie Kirk and Trump
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

VSSA teacher apologizes—debate persists over classroom remarks about Charlie Kirk and Trump

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A storm continues to brew at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy (VSSA) after a longtime teacher’s controversial remarks in class. The comments came shortly after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, setting off heated debate in the community about free speech, professional boundaries, and accountability in schools. The issue dominated last Wednesday night’s school board meeting, where the teacher publicly apologized but many parents and students left split over whether she should keep her job. Public apology follows superintendent’s rebuke At the September 24 meeting, Superintendent Philip Qualman called the remarks “unacceptable, inappropriate, and unprofessional.” He told the audience the district had followe...
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D49 Moves to Protect Privacy With Biological Sex Bathroom Policy
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

D49 Moves to Protect Privacy With Biological Sex Bathroom Policy

By Ashley Eberbach | KDVR FOX31 (COLORADO SPRINGS) — At a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 24, School District 49 (D49) voted to enact changes to its bathroom policy, which segregates bathrooms and other private spaces like locker rooms by biological sex. The changes to the district’s policy segregate private facilities according to students’ biological sex, though the district said single-stall bathrooms would be available at each school for any student who requests additional privacy. D49 said the policy allows the district to comply with Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs. “There is no perfect solution to this, there is no perfect answer,” said Lori Thompson, President of the D49 School Board. While many board members stressed the comp...
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Free speech and consequences: CU Boulder lecturer and Vail teacher face scrutiny over Kirk assassination remarks
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Free speech and consequences: CU Boulder lecturer and Vail teacher face scrutiny over Kirk assassination remarks

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 23 to include a statement from CU Boulder spokesperson Nicole Mueksch. Freedom of speech is one of America’s most cherished rights. But too often it is misunderstood as a free pass to say anything without consequence. The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month has made that painfully clear. Across the country, people who publicly cheered Kirk’s death — whether at work, online, or in classrooms — soon found out that words can carry real consequences. Some were fired. Others were suspended. Many faced a wave of anger from the public. In Colorado, questions about free speech and accountability are now playing out in two very different settings. One invol...
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Denver School Board Election Could Transform District Leadership
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Local, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Denver School Board Election Could Transform District Leadership

By Nico Brambila | The Denver Gazette With four of seven board seats on the ballot this fall — and frustrations simmering over school closures, low test scores and board transparency — November’s election could reshape Denver Public Schools and chart a new course for the state’s largest school district. It’s a crowded field. Thirteen candidates have filed, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. One of them — Samari Royal Jelks Sr., who filed to run for the at-large seat held by Director Scott Esserman — said he has withdrawn from the race, but as of Monday remained listed as a candidate. Esserman, a former educator elected at-large in 2021, is now running in District 3, represented by board President Carrie Olson. Olson, in her eighth year, is term-limited and c...
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