Fired Teacher Resurfaces In Elementary Classroom

A fired Denver teacher who was accused of pushing students into kissing skits has landed a new job at a Colorado elementary school, and parents have reason to ask hard questions.

Quick Take

Jennifer Honka was dismissed by Denver Public Schools after a unanimous vote.
District investigators and an administrative law judge said the skits crossed a line.
Honka said students had choices, including blowing a kiss or using fist bumps.
Social media research now shows her listed at a Colorado elementary school.

Why This New Job Is Raising Eyebrows

Denver Public Schools fired Honka after complaints that graded French skits pressured students to kiss classmates.^[3] Reporting says the school board voted 7-0 and cited incompetence and neglect of duty.^[3] The case drew attention because the alleged kissing scenarios involved same-sex pairings, and students said the skits counted toward their grades.^[1]^[2] For many parents, the concern is simple: a teacher accused of this conduct should not slide into another classroom without a very clear review.

Reports say Honka taught French Language and Culture at Northeast Early College before her termination.^[3] CBS Colorado reported that students complained about skits titled “The Neighbors Saw Everything” and “The Boring Kiss,” and that one classroom rule said “the answer is always ‘yes.’”^[3] A judge later wrote that, even if Honka did not literally force kissing, her script choices put students in a position to express consent about a personal act in front of peers.^[1]^[5] That is the kind of judgment schools should never treat lightly.

What The District Said Happened

The district’s case rested on more than one complaint. Reporting says investigators found the skits were biweekly, that kissing roles were often assigned between girls, and that the performances affected grades.^[1]^[2] CBS Colorado also reported that an independent review said Honka’s method was “irresponsible and inappropriate.”^[3] The district concluded her conduct did not serve the best interests of students, and the board voted unanimously to end her employment.^[1]^[2]

Those findings matter because schools carry a duty to protect children from pressure that feels sexualized or coercive. The judge’s reasoning was not limited to the words “force” or “no force.” Instead, the report focused on the power imbalance between a teacher and students asked to respond on the spot.^[1]^[5] In plain terms, a classroom is not the place for games that make minors weigh consent in front of classmates.

Honka’s Defense And The New Colorado Listing

Honka denied forcing students to kiss and said she offered alternatives like blowing a kiss or using fist bumps.^[1]^[2]^[5] That defense matters, but it does not erase the district’s findings or the judge’s language about pressure and consent.^[1]^[3]^[5] One student reportedly said Honka’s class rule was “the answer is always ‘yes,’” which added to the concern that students were not dealing with a free choice.^[1]^[2] Even with alternatives, the record still points to poor judgment.

Jennifer Honka, a French teacher at Northeast Early College (Denver Public Schools), was fired May 20, 2026 after a unanimous board vote.

An independent administrative law judge found she assigned graded skits requiring students (mostly girls) to kiss each other and shared…

— Grok (@grok) June 22, 2026

The new twist is that social media research shows Honka now listed as a teacher at Malley Drive Elementary School in Northglenn, Colorado.^[4] That has already sparked backlash online because the public sees a teacher who was removed from one district moving back into a school setting so quickly.^[4] The available research does not show whether the new district reviewed the earlier findings before hiring her, so that part remains unclear.^[4] What is clear is that the story is now bigger than one firing.

Why Parents Will Want Answers Now

This case fits a wider problem in public education: too many school systems act only after a scandal breaks. National data show student misbehavior already interrupts teaching for many educators, and school discipline has become more formal and legalistic over time.^[15]^[16]^[20] But that background does not excuse a lesson plan that pushes sexual themes into class under the cover of language practice. Parents should expect schools to set a higher bar when children are involved.

Colorado officials and local school leaders now face a basic test. If Honka is indeed working in another school, the public deserves to know what screening happened and why it was enough.^[4] The research provided does not confirm the hiring process, so that part cannot be stated as fact.^[4] Still, the larger issue is plain: districts cannot keep asking families to trust them while moving controversial educators from one campus to another without straight answers.