The Records Tell the Story

CPAN Holds Cherry Creek Accountable for Bypassing Parents

Just the News reported on CPAN’s investigation into Campus Middle School in the Cherry Creek School District. Over several days in January, morning announcements there invited students ages 11 to 13 to a lunchtime LGBTQ club meeting in a teacher’s classroom to discuss LGBTQ+ books and movies and watch short films. Parents received no advance notice and no chance to opt out. A faculty member brought the concern to CPAN through its Incident Reporting Tool and provided a recording of the announcement. CPAN then filed a Colorado Open Records Act request for the staff emails containing the daily announcement scripts, which confirmed the meeting was promoted on four separate days. CPAN sent a formal warning letter to the interim superintendent and Board of Education. The letter argues the invitations violated district policy JLDAC, which requires prior written parental consent before students are encouraged to join school-sponsored activities involving sexual behavior or attitudes. CPAN also cited the Supreme Court’s Mahmoud decision as part of the growing legal recognition of parents’ right to direct their children’s exposure to sensitive content. The district did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comment.

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