A group of courageous students prevailed in a Colorado school when their complaints about an openly lesbian teacher who asked them to kiss same-sex classmates in classroom skits led to the teacher being terminated.CBS News is reporting on the case of Jennifer Honka, a French Language and Culture teacher at Northeast Early College (NEC) in Denver, who was terminated by the Denver Public Schools board in a rare 7-0 vote for arranging classroom skits in which students of the same sex were encouraged to kiss. Some of the students said they felt pressured to do so in order to get a good grade.
Reportedly, one student who told a chemistry teacher about the skits said she felt “very uncomfortable and did not know what to do. . .She went ahead and kissed another student at (Honka)'s direction. . . The student then shared a digital meme with (the chemistry teacher) that included a picture of (Honka) and the caption 'she makes girls kiss.' The meme had circulated among the students . . . After this incident, the student's attendance decreased dramatically."
In an independent review obtained by CBS Colorado, students interviewed said that Honka always selected girls to act in the skits despite a nearly 50/50 split among boys and girls in the class. Part of students' grades relied on their performance in the bi-weekly skits and when one student refused to participate, she received a zero grade on this assignment.
As CBS reports, “An NEC English teacher testified that several students approached her as well. One of the students ‘appeared upset and defeated,’ as stated in the independent review. ‘The student told (the English teacher) that she had been asked to kiss three other girls in one of (Honka)'s skits.’"
After several students came forward to report being asked to kiss during skits, the principal, acting as a mandatory repoter, filed a report containing statements from the students with the Denver Police Department
Even though Honka tried to claim that she was the subject of discrimination based on her sexual orientation, it was later found that she had filed 18 grievances against the school district as a representative of the teacher’s union during her tenure, but none were based on discrimination.
Honka went on to appeal her termination through the Teacher Employment, Compensation and Dismissal Act, which resulted in the case being brought before an administrative law judge, Keith J. Kirchubel, who conducted an independent review of both sides of the case.
According to the Union Bulletin, other allegations against the teacher which arose during the investigation included telling students during a family tree project that her son was conceived using the sperm from one of her aunts’ husbands. She also spoke about her history of abuse by her parents and described her own suicidal ideation in detail to her students.
It was during this review that Honka testified, and a student confirmed, that she did not force students to kiss and gave them alternatives such as fist bumps or blowing a kiss.
However, this information did not sway the judge.
"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 stated. "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.
"[W]hile the notion of using skits as a way to teach French Language may have been effective in general, the way it was implemented by (Honka) was irresponsible and inappropriate."
As a result of his findings, Honka was terminated.
Denver Public Schools published a statement commending the bravery of all who were involved in bringing this injustice to light.
“We commend the bravery of the students who came forward to report these incidents, as well as the school staff who acted immediately as mandatory reporters. We remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of professional conduct and ensuring our classrooms remain safe spaces for all.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
