The story tracks a previously fired middle school teacher, Jennifer Honka, who was terminated after students raised objections to graded assignments that allegedly required kissing, and yet has resurfaced on staff lists at a Colorado elementary school, prompting questions about district standards and student safety.
Last month Denver Public Schools moved to terminate Jennifer Honka after an investigation and an independent review concluded there were grounds for firing her for incompetence and neglect of duty. Students in her French language and culture class reported graded skits with titles like “The Neighbors Saw Everything” and “The Boring Kiss” that allegedly directed them to kiss one another three times. Those reports prompted staff to act and set the formal process in motion.
Several students described the assignments as highly inappropriate, saying Honka picked mainly girls for the kissing roles despite a mixed class, and that refusals to participate led to lower grades or zeros. One student reported a classroom culture where Honka would say, “the answer is always yes,” a line that raised alarm bells for parents and colleagues. These accounts were central to the district investigation that followed.
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The Denver Public Schools statement on the case was blunt and unanimous about the outcome. “The safety, emotional well-being, and dignity of our students are the absolute highest priorities of Denver Public Schools. All schools must be spaces where students feel safe, respected, and supported.” The district added that the DPS Board of Education voted unanimously to terminate Honka following a thorough investigation and a state administrative law judge review.
The safety, emotional well-being, and dignity of our students are the absolute highest priorities of Denver Public Schools. All schools must be spaces where students feel safe, respected, and supported.
Following a thorough district investigation and an independent review by a state administrative law judge, the DPS Board of Education voted unanimously to terminate the employment of Jennifer Honka.
We commend the bravery of the students who came forward to report these incidents, as well as the school staff who acted immediately as mandatory reporters. We remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of professional conduct and ensuring our classrooms remain safe spaces for all.
Despite that unanimous decision, public records and staff directories now show Honka listed as teaching in the English Language Arts department at a Colorado elementary school. The school in question, Malley Drive Elementary School in Northglenn, appears on the district roster with Honka assigned to classroom duties. That move has left parents and community members puzzled about how a teacher with a recent termination can easily reappear on another school’s staff list.
Malley Drive bills itself as “a collaborative community where everyone shares the responsibility, dedication, and enthusiasm to empower our diverse population of scholars to positively contribute to our world,” a vision statement that sounds at odds with the controversy surrounding its newly listed staff member. Community leaders and parents argue that rhetoric about collaboration and empowerment must be matched by strict hiring filters and careful vetting when child safety questions are involved.
Critics say this case exposes inconsistent standards across districts and schools, where a dismissal in one district does not always translate into disqualification elsewhere. If a professional behavior review and an administrative judge supported termination, conservative parents and advocates insist the bar should be higher before a teacher is allowed back into any classroom, let alone an elementary one. They point to the vulnerability of younger students and argue for stricter reciprocal protections between districts.
From a Republican-leaning perspective, the core concern is straightforward: parents expect schools to act as guardians, not to shuffle staff around until the public attention fades. Accountability must be meaningful and transferable across district lines so that a professional record follows an educator and informs hiring decisions. When a unanimous board decision and an adjudicative review reach the same result, it should matter in every school the teacher seeks to work in afterward.
Students who spoke up showed courage, and many community members praised mandatory reporters and staff who escalated concerns. At the same time, the situation raises policy questions about background review, inter-district communication, and safeguards that protect children from inappropriate classroom practices. Lawmakers and school boards will likely face pressure to tighten those procedures so incidents like this do not repeat in other districts.
The controversy remains active in the local community, with parents asking for transparency and stronger protections. School districts must balance hiring needs against the obligation to keep classrooms safe places for all students. Until those systems are reformed, families will understandably watch staff directories for answers and demand clear standards that cross district borders.
