Witt is using the Woodland Park school board as a tool to take over the district and impose his anti-democratic, anti-public school ideology. He’s exploiting the BOCES concept to use public money to serve his conservative agenda and line his own pocketbook. His schools are not high performing or meritorious. They are not inclusive of all American children. They are an example of the failure of our state’s school accountability system to ensure accountability for public funds and democratic values.
— Read on www.coloradopolitics.com/content/tncms/live/
Author Archives: Matt G
‘Knowledge is power’: new app helps US teens read books banned in school | US news | The Guardian
Consistently, these bans target materials written by and about people of color or LGBTQ+ individuals, and even though a 2022 poll found that 70% of parents oppose them, they are continuing at a rapid rate.
Now the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is trying to fight back. It recently launched the Banned Book Program, granting free nationwide access to books restricted in schools or libraries.
— Read on www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/18/us-teens-banned-books-schools
Woodland Park high school adds armed security guards for 2023-24 school year | KRDO
“They will be trained either former law enforcement or former military law enforcement, or someone that has been properly qualified and trained,” Witt said..
— Read on krdo.com/news/2023/08/17/woodland-park-high-school-adds-armed-security-guards-for-2023-24-school-year/
School board addresses routine topics after emotional public comments | Pikes Peak Courier | gazette.com
School board meetings in Woodland Park are often contentiousness and always emotional, and the Aug. 9 gathering was no exception — at least during the public comment portion.
The line outside the district’s administrative offices had 25 people in it by 5 p.m., a full hour prior to the scheduled start time. It had reached 38 by 5:15.
— Read on gazette.com
‘Refugees’ from Woodland Park heading to Manitou schools –
‘Refugees’ from Woodland Park heading to Manitou schools –
— Read on pikespeakbulletin.org/education/refugees-from-woodland-park-heading-to-manitou-schools/
Staff sues Woodland Park school district over new media policy | 9news.com
Staff claimed they were in the dark about the new policy, which requires prior approval from the superintendent for posts about school or district decisions.
— Read on www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/lawsuit-woodland-park-school-board-violating-staffs-right-to-free-speech-new-media-policy/73-2564a21d-3a41-416e-8e3d-3d07413e8bfa
Woodland Park School District, Board of Education sued for violating teachers’ right to free speech | KRDO
A federal lawsuit against the Woodland Park School District and Board of Education said its recently adopted policies silenced teachers, violating their First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Colorado Education Association, a state-wide labor union representing more than 39,000 educators, including in the Woodland Park School District. They said the lawsuit is to “remedy violations of the constitutional rights” of Woodland Park School District teachers.
— Read on krdo.com/news/2023/08/11/woodland-park-school-district-board-of-education-sued-for-violating-teachers-right-to-free-speech/
Woodland Park school board has ‘chilled’ free speech and violated open meetings law, according to Colorado teachers union lawsuit | Colorado Public Radio
Colorado’s largest teachers union and its local affiliate have filed a federal lawsuit against the Woodland Park School District and the district’s board of education.
The lawsuit alleges the district and board have “chilled” teachers’ First Amendment rights to free speech and free association and violated state open meetings laws when it revised a district policy and effectively instituted a gag order against teachers.
— Read on www.cpr.org/2023/08/11/woodland-park-school-district-teachers-union-lawsuit/
UPDATE: ACLU sues Woodland Park School Board on behalf of citizen banned from meetings, property | News | csindy.com
One day after the ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit against the Woodland Park School District (WPSD) for violating the constitutional rights of Logan Ruths, a vocal critic of the district, the district lifted its “unlawful banishment order” it imposed on Ruths for speaking out at a public meeting, the ACLU announced in a release today, Aug. 7.
— Read on www.csindy.com/content/tncms/live/
Statement Regarding Woodland Park School District Rescinding its Unconstitutional Banishment Order Against Vocal Critic of the District | ACLU Colorado
After the ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit against the Woodland Park School District (WPSD) for violating the constitutional rights of Logan Ruths, a vocal critic of the district, WPSD responded by lifting the unlawful banishment order…
— Read on www.aclu-co.org/en/news/statement-regarding-woodland-park-school-district-rescinding-its-unconstitutional-banishment