Colorado Education Association Files Federal Lawsuit Against Woodland Park School District

Woodland Park High School (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Posted By: Dan R August 15, 2023

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 by the Colorado Education Association, a statewide labor union representing more than 39,000 educators. They said the lawsuit it to “remedy violations of the constitutional rights” of Woodland Park School District teachers. 

The Woodland Park School District changed its policy for employees’ communication with the public. Three paragraphs were added to the original policy stating, “No employee shall be interviewed by the media regarding school operations or student matters or offer a quote without the prior written consent of the superintendent. No social media posts regarding district or school decisions will be made by employees of the district. Violation of this policy will be considered to be insubordination.”

The lawsuit states this revised policy is a violation of the teacher’s First Amendment rights to free speech. 

Woodland Park School Superintendent Kenn Witt told KRDO that the lawsuit is a “coordinated political attack by various actors and progressive groups.”     

Dan R
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