Colorado teachers’ union allegedly tells schools to destroy gender identity records

A division of the Colorado Education Association (CEA) reportedly told the Jefferson County School District to destroy records regarding children’s gender identities to avoid legal scrutiny.

“[I]f you do a questionnaire [about gender], please make it a paper and pencil activity – any digital records are more permanent and may be requested under federal law,” the email from the Jefferson County chapter of the CEA read in part, according to CBS News.

The advice is contrary to what the school district administrators told teachers, said one legal website, which contends such surveys may be illegal, even in paper and pencil format.

“At issue are student surveys about gender identity,” reported Legal Insurrection. “While the school district says it’s unclear whether surveys about students’ preferred pronouns are illegal, there are several lawsuits regarding the issue. So, administrators told teachers – just don’t go there.”

It appears to be another mistake from a teachers’ union that has rapidly lurched leftward, until it’s now avowedly socialist.  

Earlier this year, The Lion reported that the CEA state assembly passed a resolution condemning capitalism. 

One Colorado state Senator, who represents a portion of Jefferson County, told The Lion that the CEA should not insert themselves into education policy decisions. 

“The teachers union is merely an externally hijacked HR department. What business do they have inserting themselves into education policy?” asked state Sen. Mark Baisley, R-District 4.  

Jefferson County parent Denice Crawford, who has three kids in the public school system, said she was encouraged when the district sent out an email earlier this year reminding people that such surveys are illegal unless parents can opt out, according to CBS News. 

Now, she is crestfallen.  

“Deceived, lied to, taken advantage of,” Crawford told CBS.  

Lindsay Datko, founder of JeffCo Kids First, told the Lion that she first obtained the email records about suppressing the surveys through a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request, which is the very law that the CEA advisory is trying to subvert.  

“Jeffco Kids First is an ally for individual rights and for open discussion and collaboration on how sensitive issues should be appropriately handled in schools,” Datko told The Lion. “Additionally, Jeffco Kids First stands up firmly against any effort to circumvent the law, improperly survey children without parental notice, and dispose of personal student data.”  

Parents interviewed by CBS said the CEA is telling teachers to “break the law and hide the evidence.” 

Ironically, Baisley told The Lion that the CEA is suing a conservative school board in Woodland Park, Colorado, a district he also represents, for allegedly violating open meeting laws. 

According to its website, JeffCo Kids First is a 6,000 member group united “around our mission to protect the individual needs of Jefferson County children and their families.”   

It’s a mission which Baisley supports. 

“School districts ought to focus on preparing students to thrive in their future professions within the free market,” Baisley told The Lion. “Advancing trendy social conduct is far from that mission. Leave parenting to the parents.”