Lesbian high school teacher in Colorado fired after making girls kiss in front of class.

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Colorado students report same-sex peers were made to kiss during class assignment, teacher fired

Denver Public Schools board members voted unanimously May 20 to dismiss a 50-year-old foreign language teacher following a district investigation and an independent review into student complaints about a class assignment.

The board voted 7-0 after meeting in executive session to consider the firing of Jennifer Honka. Honka taught French Language and Culture at Northeast Early College for all of her eight years with the district. Officially, Honka was fired for incompetence and neglect of duty. There was no public debate among the board members prior to the vote.

Honka's classroom instruction first came into question during the 2023-24 school year. She had received the highest possible rating in district assessments the prior three years. But then students approached other teachers and complained about skits in Honka's class in which they were asked to kiss one another.

According to the independent review, issued on April 30, a copy of which was obtained by CBS Colorado, those students were always the same sex.

One student told an NEC chemistry teacher about the skits in April 2024.

"The student was very uncomfortable and did not know what to do," the report stated. "She went ahead and kissed another student at (Honka)'s direction. The student then shared a digital meme with (the chemistry teacher) that included a picture of (Honka) and the caption 'she makes girls kiss.' The meme had circulated among the students.

"After this incident, the student's attendance decreased dramatically."

One student interviewed directly in the independent review also testified that Honka always selected girls to act in the skits. Despite a nearly 50/50 split among boys and girls in the class, the student "could not recall Honka choosing a boy actor."

This student refused to participate and testified that she received a zero score for a grade on this assignment.

Another student said she walked out of the class.

An NEC English teacher testified that several students approached her as well. One of the students "appeared upset and defeated," as stated in the independent review. "The student told (the English teacher) that she had been asked to kiss three other girls in one of (Honka)'s skits."

Those skits were titled "The Neighbors Saw Everything" and "The Boring Kiss," according to the report. The latter involves characters who were dating. The script for "The Boring Kiss" includes three different moments when the characters are directed to kiss each other.

One student told the independent reviewer that Honka posted a classroom rule - "the answer is always 'yes'" - that was commonly referenced by Honka and used to pressure students to take part in the skits. Part of students' grades relied on their performance in the bi-weekly skits, according to the report.

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Honka, per the report, had openly disclosed to the class and the school's principal that she was a lesbian and active in LGBTQ support.

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