Parental rights groups concerned over DEI in Denver teacher contract

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square

As Denver Public Schools move forward with finalizing a new teacher contract, parental rights groups are raising concerns about inclusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion provisions in the contract.

Defending Education, Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, and Protect Kids Colorado joined to send a letter to Denver Public Schools and Denver Classroom Teachers Association expressing “deep concern about the inclusion of ideological programming and discriminatory mandates” in the Denver Public Schools Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“Not only are these practices terrible for students and staff but they are potentially unlawful, as they often violate federal civil rights law,” the letter said. “DPS and DCTA should focus on improving educational outcomes, supporting teachers in the classroom, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are directed to the success of all students, not political and ideological programming.”

The DPS and DCTA plan to agree to a new contract by Aug. 31. In a joint statement to The Center Square, the DCTA and DPS said they are standing by the contract.

“Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association are committed to providing a high-quality education for every student and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all educators,” the statement said. “Equity is a core value of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and Denver Public Schools. Together, we are working alongside families, community members, and district leaders to ensure that every student has access to qualified, culturally responsive educators, well-resourced classrooms, professional mental health support, and fully-funded schools.”

The parental rights groups are calling for all DEI-related initiatives to be removed from the new contract before it is finalized.

Paul Runko, director of Strategic Initiatives at Defending Education, told The Center Square this group hopes DPS will consider their request.

“From our perspective, not only are these practices terrible for student academic outcomes, but potentially unlawful as a lot of these initiatives often violate federal civil rights law,” Runko said. “There are quite a number of things in their section called ‘Equity in the School District’ that we find problematic.”

According to an investigation by Defending Education, provisions in that section include the following:

• Race-based programs for teachers

• Race-based hiring quotas

• Mandatory “equity” training

• Racial equity analysis tools

• A committee to implement these DEI practices

Erin Lee, executive director for Protect Kids Colorado, told The Center Square in a statement that these provisions are “divisive and discriminatory” toward both students and teachers.

“Increasing rules and procedures for hiring good teachers is dangerous territory​, especially when those rules are folded into long-term contracts,” Lee said. “This does not help teachers teach, it creates more barriers for good teachers to obtain good teaching positions.”

Runko said they have not yet received a formal response to their letter but remain hopeful, especially in light of the Trump administration’s pushback to DEI policies.

“We’re cautiously optimistic,” he said. “This new environment . . . that we find ourselves in this year really emphasizes academic excellence and bringing schools back to what they were meant to be doing, which is teaching reading, writing and math.”

DPS and DCTA defended the provisions, saying they are essential to creating a welcoming environment.

“We want to ensure that we are hiring employees and adopting practices that truly serve our students,” their statement said. “Additionally, training on topics such as unconscious bias gives all employees the knowledge and skills needed to recognize and challenge discriminatory behaviors. This type of training helps to foster a culture of respect and empathy, leading to better teamwork and a more positive work environment.”

Runko disagreed with the premise that these policies are necessary or useful.

“We would argue that these initiatives have nothing to do with academics and, in fact, they contribute to academic decline,” he said. “We are hopeful that the public at large sees this and that . . . these administrators and these teacher union officials understand that parents are watching and reading the fine print of these agreements. We are hopeful that they change course.”