COLLIER: Denver-Area Teachers Throw “ICE” at Families Putting Politics Over Pupils Once Again

Denver-area teachers throw ‘ice’ at families, putting politics over pupils once again

On Friday, Jan. 30, families across Aurora and Adams 12 awoke to the same cheery surprise. Their child’s school was closed — not for snow, not for power outages, not for safety. Too many teachers decided they would rather attend nationwide “ICE Out” protests than show up for the classrooms they are paid to serve. Apparently, lesson plans can wait when the union-driven activism calls.

This was not a scheduling hiccup. It’s once again a flashing warning sign that public education in Colorado has drifted from the basic requirements of our teaching children to advancing political causes. When schools shut down because staff choose protests over students, the mask slips. No, not the forced KN-95 masks teachers demanded just 5 years ago. The mask of political malarkey. 

The trend continues to show us too many educators are no longer neutral professionals guiding kids through math, reading, and science. The ranks of these teachers becoming  left-wing activists who happen to work in taxpayer funded school buildings and who expect parents to quietly absorb the consequences clearly continue to grow. The citizens be damned.

Those consequences are not theoretical. Thousands of parents were forced to scramble at the last minute for childcare. Single parents were hit the hardest, juggling jobs, paychecks, and responsibilities with little to no notice. Meanwhile, the teachers who triggered the closures enjoyed a free day off, funded by the same taxpayers now burning through their own PTO or begging neighbors and family for help. That imbalance says everything.

Public schools exist to educate children, not to function as political staging grounds. When entire districts shut down because adults prioritize protests over students, trust erodes fast. And much trust was already lost during the COVID era of tele-education, DEI policies vastly discovered, and undertones of forced vaccination and the political tinge that came from that. Parents noticed. Communities noticed. And increasingly, families are responding by voting with their feet. Such as the case of district 49 in Colorado Springs that is seen over a 35% reduction in students in neighborhood schools there over the last five years.

Today proves yet again that charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling are required alternatives. They are rational responses to a system that repeatedly proves it will put ideology ahead of instruction. Parents want stability, accountability, and classrooms that stay open. They want educators who see teaching as a profession, not a platform.

Aurora and Adams 12 did not just cancel school. They sent a message. Many parents heard it loud and clear, and this will only encourage them to continue to look for the exits. Fortunately, school choice is on the March nationwide, and many options in Colorado exist that never did even 10 to 15 years ago,.

This moment will accelerate education choices families were already seriously considering nationwide. And many of us will be watching closely here in Douglas County on what teachers are, or more importantly, or not doing their job on this day.

Steve Collier

Highlands Ranch, CO

Editor’s note: Mr. Collier is a precinct committee person serving the DCGOP.