The Trump administration has opened a federal investigation into Denver Public Schools after allegations that a high school teacher required students of the same sex to kiss as part of a classroom assignment, the Department of Education announced Tuesday."Schools have an obligation to prevent and address sexual assault," Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement."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.
It is abhorrent and the Trump Administration will fully investigate this perverse incident to protect students’ safety and vigorously uphold students’ rights across America."The Education Department said it is investigating whether Denver Public Schools violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), a federal law that gives parents the right to opt their children out of certain surveys, evaluations and instructional activities involving sensitive topics, including sexual behavior and attitudes.COLORADO TEACHER FIRED AFTER STUDENTS ALLEGEDLY PRESSURED TO KISS CLASSMATES IN SKITSA Denver Public Schools emblem and sign on the Evie Garrett Dennis Campus that houses five separate schools with 1,600 students in Pre-K through 12th grade in Northeast Denver, Colorado on March 16, 2016.(Katie Wood/The Denver Post via Getty Images)The Department said that it is "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."The Denver Public Schools board voted 7-0 on May 20, CBS News reported, to consider the firing of French language and culture teacher Jennifer Honka at Northeast Early College for "incompetence and neglect of duty," finding she had at times allegedly suggested that students kiss during in-class skits.An April 30 independent r...