Cherry Creek School District School Board Watch

2021

• CHERRY CREEK SCHOOLS: WE DON’T TEACH CRITICAL RACE THEORY
• Yes, Colorado’s school board races are becoming more politicized. Here’s why | CPR

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2023

• Colorado, national far-right activist groups target Cherry Creek schools in false LGTBQ book allegations | Sentinel
• Turning Point USA, Colorado Parent Advocacy Network raise concerns about books in Cherry Creek Schools
• Conservative Candidates Look To Shake Up Cherry Creek School Board
• Colorado’s 2023 school board contests have turned contentious with an influx of candidates, money in many races | The Colorado Sun
• America First Policy Institute Records Request Cherry Creek School District Records Request
• Incumbents take lead in Cherry Creek school board races | Sentinel
• EDITORIAL: CPAN, similar ‘parental rights’ activists, present public danger with mental-health disinformation campaigns

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2025

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2025 School Board Election

• Progressive school board candidates make inroads in races across Colorado | Chalkbeat
  • “For example, two candidates who lost their bids for seats on the Cherry Creek school board received donations from a top Trump administration official, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. With many newly elected candidates backed by teachers unions, including in Denver, Jeffco, and Cherry Creek, Tuesday’s results could bring about more union-friendly policies in some districts. In others, new board dynamics could mean less time devoted to hot-button issues such as library book removals, transgender student athletes, and how social studies is taught.“

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2026

• Former Cherry Creek Schools board president calls on current board to hold superintendent accountable
• Cherry Creek superintendent resigns, announces retirement following Denver7 Investigation | Denver 7
• Cherry Creek School District cutting 159 jobs, reducing expenses by $23 million amid budget shortfall

June 2026

• Cherry Creek School District under investigation for ‘racially discriminatory programming’ | CBS
  • “We strongly disagree with the characterization of District programming. The District has not yet received a copy of the complaint. Without the complaint, we are not in a position to respond further,” Cherry Creek School District said.

• Demand Cherry Creek Schools Stand Firm Against Trump’s DEI Investigation
  • Cherry Creek strongly disagrees. The district has not even received a copy of the complaint.
  • This is not an isolated incident. Over the past 18 months the Trump administration has investigated the Denver district for converting a restroom to an all-gender facility, the Jeffco district for transgender student rooming policies on field trips, and school districts in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The pattern is clear: this administration is using federal civil rights machinery as a political weapon against school districts that support students of color and LGBTQ students.
  • Programs that help students feel seen, supported, and included are not discrimination. They are good education. Cherry Creek’s community — students, families, and educators — deserves a district that will stand by its values under political pressure.

• Conservative School Activists Say They Are ‘Working Directly With the U.S. Department of Education’ | CTR
  • “The Colorado Parent Advocacy Network investigated it & filed two Title VI complaints. The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating Cherry Creek School District for race-based discrimination. Thank you to everyone who came forward!” CPAN wrote in a post to X, quoting an official post by the U.S. Department of Education.

• Trump administration using ‘shock and awe’ in federal investigations into Colorado school districts, expert says
  • “I think shock and awe is probably a good description of the strategy that the administration has been using,” said Kevin Welner, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. “The Trump administration has aggressively pursued complaints alleging discrimination against white students, while dropping complaints alleging discrimination against black and Latino students, which is sort of the opposite of what lawmakers originally intended for Title VI.”