Over 80 former and current Woodland Park School District teachers and staff publicly released a letter Oct. 5 condemning a spate of controversial policies passed by the school board, defying what they say is an unconstitutional district policy restricting free speech.

During a news conference held before a standing room only crowd of over 100 at the Ute Pass Cultural Center, several of those 81 current and former employees who signed the letter detailed personal stories of how their students or children and grandchildren have suffered, and how over a dozen employees saw their jobs eliminated, after the school board refused $1.5 million in grants to retain its social and behavioral health workers.

The teachers also spoke out against the leadership of interim superintendent Ken Witt, whose contract was extended for a year in May, and his adoption of the social studies curriculum standard American Birthright, a curriculum the teachers said puts politics over academic readiness, within his first month of leadership in January.

“We must utilize our constitutional rights to speak out against what we feel as an incompetent leadership actively harming our students and community,” said Margie Drews, a teacher with the district. “It has become abundantly clear to us that the direction that Ken Witt and the school board are taking our schools is unsustainable and detrimental.”

Their opposition comes despite a policy, adopted by the board in February, that governs employees’ outside communication, stating they may neither be interviewed by the press or post on social media about district or school decisions and other matters without prior written consent from the superintendent, the Courier previously reported.

The policy deems any violation as insubordination, which is subject to disciplinary measures up to termination.

Lawyers for the Woodland Park School District agreed to mediate with the Woodland Park Education Association, which filed suit against the district in August to strike down the policy.

The American Birthright standard was created by the Civics Alliance, a conservative coalition with the stated mission of combating a “new civics” approach of the progressive left that it says prioritizes activism over the responsibilities of American citizenship. The Colorado State Board of Education shot down a proposal in 2022 that would have adopted American Birthright as Colorado’s base standard.

Speakers Thursday said that not only does the curriculum fail to prepare students to navigate the world and critically consider different viewpoints, it is not an accredited standard recognized by certain collegiate organizations, like the NCAA.

According to Woodland Park Middle School teacher Anna Hand, that could mean some coursework completed by the district’s high school athletes looking to compete at the collegiate level might not be recognized, and they might not be accepted into a given university.

Hand told The Gazette that the NCAA would accept waivers for those Woodland Park graduating athletes, but that there has been “no communication” about whether the district has requested waivers.

“If students are able to take an AP (Advanced Placement) class or take classes with Pikes Peak State College, they can add those classes to their transcripts,” Hand said.

“But, if they’re in a class (under American Birthright standards), no matter what their grade is or if they put in the work, it will not be recognized.”

Speakers said students are also suffering inside and outside the classroom after the district gutted its social worker and counselor staff, and called on the school board to reapply for grant funding.

“When there is not a social worker present in the building, teaching and learning are interrupted each time teachers have to manage (escalating) behaviors, and … one child’s unmet social and emotional needs impacts the entire classroom,” said Nancy Godwin, who worked three years as a paraeducator and five years as a special education teacher at the middle school before retiring this year.

Around 40% of the district’s workforce did not return for the 2023-2024 school year, speakers said Thursday and NBC News reported. During a meeting in March, Witt told teachers the schools were “not the department of health and human services” and that providing social services tended to “deter a lot of focus on education and academic achievement,” according to a video shared with NBC News.

Josh Desmidt, whose role as a restorative practices coordinator was eliminated, said his staff played a “crucial” role in facilitating environments within campuses to keep students experiencing suicidality, self-harm, social isolation, drug abuse, poverty and untreated mental health illnesses from “slipping through the cracks” by connecting them and their families with community resources and better accommodation and integration with their peers.

He said the choice to eliminate 15 social worker positions, which helped fill a need in rural Teller County for available and affordable behavioral health services, is “beyond comprehension.”

“These trusted adults provided a layer of support for our students,” Desmidt said. “Without that safety net, I’m worried for the safety of our students in our community.”

It continues to disappoint us to see the teachers union prioritize its political views over the needs of students. If the energy they invest in attacking the Woodland Park School District (WPSD) administration and school board was instead turned towards academics, there would not be a need for the board to direct implementation of sound and fundamental educational standards.

This “teacher press conference” appears to be another union tactic to again dredge up issues that have been thoroughly addressed. These union affiliates are engaging in political maneuvering when the focus should be on the education and safety of our students, which they claim to care deeply about. We are equally disappointed but unsurprised to see CBS choose to be a platform for union opposition to the improvement of education in Woodland Park, enthusiastically seeking to assist in the union opposition to our school board.

Yes, this district adopted a traditional framework for civics and social studies – because we had to realign from courses such as “civil disobedience” and statements by the teachers union in Colorado that they disavow Capitalism, the free market which makes this nation the envy of the world, while they quip communist tropes. And yes, we still ensure we meet or exceed Colorado state standards.

Our community is tired of teachers believing they have the authority to determine what is taught. This is the responsibility of the people, through their elected representatives, the board of education. The concept of teacher supremacy over the rights of parents, voters, and even representative democracy must be rejected.

Yes, we declined some money earmarked for mental health services, which are often utilized for gender confusion and sexual identity matters instead of the sort of counseling and character development that our schools ought to pursue. We are returning to pre-COVID norms, focusing on teaching academics rather than loading the system with so many social workers and mental health practitioners that little time is left for learning. We have a counselor in every school and teachers who are trusted adults 1 and watchful for students needing additional support. We also forged a new partnership with Mindsight this year to ensure we have all mental health support needed.

This district aims to design policies that uphold a respectful working and learning environment while fully honoring First Amendment rights. It is important to emphasize that WPSD does not seek to suppress anyone’s First Amendment rights. Nevertheless, it is expected that all district employees conduct themselves professionally and portray the district aims positively when working in their capacity as employees, where they have a role as representatives of WPSD.

We recognize that there continue to be staff members who seek to pursue goals related to unorthodox worldviews that run counter to the values of this community, but we are adamant that the role of the school is to come alongside parents in the education of their children. It is not the role of the school to be endorsing ideologies or undermine the values taught in the home. This administration proudly acknowledges the accomplishments which this small group of union-affiliated individuals decry. Their proposed alternative, a return to sexual politics, anti-capitalism, and hatred for America, is unacceptable to the administration of this school district, our board, and our community.

Ken Witt, Superintendent

Woodland Park School District

Woodland Park Middle School is pictured Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Jeff Kearney, Pikes Peak Courier

Ken Witt

Courtesy of Woodland Park School District