A Colorado teacher was dismissed earlier this year following allegations that she forced same-sex students to kiss in her class. Now, the U.S. Department of Education is getting involved.
In a Tuesday press release, the department said it was “investigating incidents that took place at a Denver Public Schools high school involving a teacher who allegedly required students of the same sex to kiss each other in front of the classroom as part of a class assignment.”
CBS Denver reported that former Denver Public Schools teacher Jennifer Honka was unanimously dismissed by the Denver Public Schools board in May following a district investigation in an independent review. According to the outlet, students at Northeast Early College, a public high school in the district, started complaining that Honka – described as a teacher with 24 years of experience – had students perform in skits for her French classes during the 2023-2024 school year.
During these classes, students were asked to kiss one another during the skits, per the allegations. The independent revealed that the students were generally always girls. Students also said they were given zero as a grade if they refused to participate.
“Those skits were titled ‘The Neighbors Saw Everything’ and ‘The Boring Kiss,’ according to the report. The latter involves characters who were dating. The script for ‘The Boring Kiss’ includes three different moments when the characters are directed to kiss each other,” said CBS.
Honka, who reportedly revealed to the school principal that she is a lesbian, testified that she did not force students to kiss and would give them alternatives such as blowing a kiss or “fist bumps” if they were uncomfortable. However, students also noted that Honka had a sign that said “the answer is always yes,” and claimed she used that sentiment to pressure students to kiss.
“Honka told investigators she believed she was the subject of discrimination based on her sexual orientation,” CBS Denver said. “But, according to the independent review, Honka has filed 18 grievances against the school district as a representative of the teachers' union. According to the school board, none of them included a discrimination claim.”
Before the complaints started, Honka received the highest possible rating in district assessments for three years and no staff witnessed the alleged kisses. After the third compliant about the kissing in Honka’s classroom, Northeast Early College Principal Jen Warren filed a report with the Denver Police Department.
“She collected statements from the three students and presented them to authorities as a mandatory child protection reporter, according to the independent review,” CBS Denver said. No criminal charges resulted, the outlet added.
Denver Public Schools conducted an investigation into the allegations and DPS staff recommended that Honka be terminated. She appealed the recommendation, and an administrative law judge from the State of Colorado, Keith J. Kirchubel write an independent review of the situation. He was presented with testimony from both sides.
Kirchubel supported Honka's dismissal.
"Regardless of whether (Honka) ‘forced’ the participants to kiss, her choice of script forced them to express their preferences and consent about a very personal and sexualized activity on the spot in front of their peers,” Kirchubel said. “They were also forced to determine whether they were comfortable dissenting from the direction of the script to their teacher, who was in a position of control over the situation.”
Now, the Department of Education is looking into whether Denver Public Schools violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is expected to evaluate whether the district properly handed the issue. Title X protects against sex discrimination in education programs.
“Parents are entitled by law to be notified if their children will be surveyed or evaluated on sensitive information about sex behaviors or attitudes,” said the department. It added that its Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) “will investigate whether parents were notified about this student evaluation and whether parent or student opt-outs or complaints were ignored.”
“Schools have an obligation prevent and address sexual assault. Yet in Colorado, school personnel are alleged to have compelled the sexual assault of minor students by forcing them to engage in blatantly sexualized conduct in class,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey. “It is abhorrent and the Trump Administration will fully investigate this perverse incident to protect students’ safety and vigorously uphold students’ rights across America.”
Under President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the department of education has recently issued press releases regarding multiple cases related to LGBTQ+ issues. These include an investigation into “transgender dolls” and school districts allegedly “transitioning” students.
