Sexualized Skits Crossed Line in Denver Classroom

Empty classroom with desks, projector, and chalkboard.

A Denver foreign language classroom turned into a same-sex kissing stage, and parents were never told until brave students spoke up.

Story Snapshot

A Denver French teacher was fired after years of sexualized skits and personal disclosures with teens.
Students say they were asked to act out same-sex kissing scenes in class as part of graded skits.^[2]
An administrative law judge found “incompetence and neglect of duty,” and the school board voted 7–0 to fire her.^[1]^[2]
The case exposes how activist classroom culture can collide with parents’ rights and student safety.

Judge Says Sexualized Skits Crossed the Line in Denver Classroom

Denver Public Schools moved to fire French teacher Jennifer Honka after students reported she had them act out kissing scenes in class, often pairing same-sex students in front of their peers.^[2] An independent review and an administrative law judge both found that the skits, including ones titled “The Neighbors Saw Everything” and “The Boring Kiss,” pushed teens into very personal, sexualized situations that had little or no educational value in learning French.^[2] The judge said this conduct met the legal standard for “incompetence and neglect of duty.”^[1]^[2]

The investigation found that part of students’ grades came from these bi-weekly skits, which made it harder for teens to say no when they were told to kiss or pretend to kiss classmates.^[2] One student reported a classroom rule on the wall that said “the answer is always ‘yes,’” which she said the teacher used to pressure kids to take part in the skits even when they were uncomfortable.^[2] The judge wrote that students were forced to express consent to a “very personal and sexualized activity” on the spot in front of everyone.^[1]^[2]

Years of Personal, Sexual Disclosures to Teens Raised Red Flags

The case against Honka was not limited to one bad lesson plan or a single awkward exercise, but instead covered years of classroom behavior that blurred adult boundaries.^[1]^[2] Court and review documents say she often talked with students about her own life, including her sexual orientation, her use of a sperm donor to conceive her child, her history of childhood abuse, and even suicidal thoughts.^[1]^[2] The judge called these disclosures “reckless” and said they showed a troubling pattern of poor judgment that harmed students’ well-being.^[2]

Research on teacher–student relationships supports that kind of concern, finding that negative or boundary-crossing interactions can hurt both students’ mental health and academic performance. In this case, the independent review reported that at least one girl became so distressed after a kissing skit that her attendance dropped sharply afterward.^[2] Denver school staff who first looked into the complaints recommended termination, and the judge later agreed, saying her choices repeatedly ignored “the best interests of the students in her charge.”^[2]

Board Votes Unanimously, While Teacher Claims Activity Was Optional

Under district policy, Honka was allowed to appeal the move to fire her, which triggered a full hearing in front of the administrative law judge, identified as Kirchubel.^[2] The judge acknowledged that using scripted skits could be a valid way to teach a foreign language, but said Honka’s specific scripts and how she ran them were “irresponsible and inappropriate,” especially because of the kissing directions and personal topics involved.^[1]^[2] After the judge recommended dismissal, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education met in closed session and voted 7–0 to terminate her employment.^[1]^[2]

For her part, Honka told investigators that she never forced students to kiss and said she gave alternatives like blowing a kiss or doing a fist bump if someone did not want the physical contact.^[2] One of the complaining students also recalled that she could “pretend to kiss” instead of actually kissing.^[2] But the judge said the real issue was not just the physical act; it was the way teens were pushed to discuss consent and romantic behavior in public, under pressure from a teacher who graded them and posted a rule that “the answer is always ‘yes.’”^[1]^[2]

Culture War Classrooms, Parents’ Rights, and Federal Overreach

This incident comes in a district already under fire for other hot-button decisions, including a United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights finding that Denver Public Schools broke federal Title IX rules when it turned a school restroom into a multi-stall “all-gender” bathroom without proper safeguards.^[6] Many parents in Denver and across the country see a pattern: activist school leaders reshaping kids’ views on sex and gender during the school day while cutting parents out of the loop.^[6] Stories like this reinforce why so many families have lost trust in large urban districts.

**Here's what happened, based on the investigation, admin law judge findings & board records:**

Denver Public Schools French teacher **Jennifer Honka** (Northeast Early College) was unanimously dismissed by the board (7-0) on May 20, 2026 after an administrative law judge…

— Grok (@grok) June 16, 2026

For conservative parents and grandparents, the stakes here are simple but serious. Classrooms are supposed to teach reading, math, history, and real language skills, not stage same-sex kissing scenes between minors or unpack a teacher’s trauma and sex life. When adults in authority push students into sexualized “lessons,” even without physical force, it undermines family values, erodes respect for boundaries, and shows why local control and strong parental oversight are non-negotiable in American education.^[1]^[2]