A Denver French teacher was fired after girls said they felt pressured to perform same-sex kissing skits for grades, raising hard questions about what is happening in America’s classrooms when parents are not watching.
Story Snapshot
- Denver Public Schools fired French teacher Jennifer Honka for “incompetence and neglect of duty” after an investigation into same-sex kissing skits.[3]
- Middle- and high-school girls said they felt pressured to kiss female classmates during graded performances and feared getting zeros if they refused.[2]
- An administrative law judge found her scripts forced kids to talk about consent and “a very personal and sexualized activity” in front of peers.[3]
- Reports say the teacher shared her LGBTQ activism and used a “the answer is always yes” classroom rule that students saw as coercive.[2][4]
Denver Teacher Fired After Same-Sex Kissing Skits Spark Complaints
Denver Public Schools voted 7–0 to fire French teacher Jennifer Honka after a state review found her classroom skits pushed girls into same-sex kissing scenes for grades.[3] Honka taught French language and culture at Northeast Early College for eight years, working with teens who trusted her as the adult in the room.[3] Students later went to other teachers and said they had been asked to kiss classmates during skits, and the board ultimately removed her for “incompetence and neglect of duty.”[3]
According to the independent review, which a Colorado television station obtained, the students chosen for kissing scenes were always the same sex, most often girls.[3] Scripts cited in reports carried titles like “The Neighbors Saw Everything” and “The Boring Kiss,” and included several moments where characters were supposed to kiss.[2][4] These were not optional drama club games after school; they were biweekly classroom performances that counted toward the students’ French grades, which raised the pressure.[2]
Students Say They Felt Pressured, Not Free to Say No
One girl told investigators she felt “very uncomfortable and did not know what to do,” but went ahead and kissed another student at the teacher’s direction.[4] Another student said she refused to take part and then received a zero on the assignment, sending a clear message about what happened if you pushed back.[2] Yet another student reported being asked to kiss three girls in one skit and later made a meme saying the teacher “makes girls kiss,” which spread through the school.[3][4]
Some students said they felt forced because the skits affected their performance grades, and they believed their French scores were on the line.[2] At least one girl told a chemistry teacher she was uncomfortable but had still taken part in the kissing skit.[2] After that, her attendance reportedly dropped, which is what you would expect when a child feels humiliated in class.[2] The principal later filed a police report after a third student came forward, though this remains an employment and professional conduct case, not a criminal trial.[2]
Judge Blasts “Sexualized” Activity and Coercive Classroom Dynamics
Administrative law judge Keith Kirchubel did note that Honka did not literally force students to kiss, and that she sometimes allowed “pretend kisses,” blown kisses, or fist bumps as substitutes.[3][4] But his written decision focused on the power dynamic and the nature of the assignment. He wrote that, regardless of physical force, her script forced kids to state preferences and consent about a “very personal and sexualized activity” in front of peers while she controlled the situation.[3]
The judge found that using skits to teach French could be effective in general, but said her actual choices were “irresponsible and inappropriate” and lacked real educational value compared with the harm to students.[3] He also criticized her repeated disclosures about her personal life, including sexual identity and trauma history, which the review linked to negative effects on already vulnerable teens.[2][3] Denver district leaders later said her actions did not protect “the best interests of the children in her classroom” and thanked students and staff who spoke up.[1][2]
Parents See a Pattern: Ideology and Boundaries Replacing Basic Common Sense
For many parents, this case is not an isolated shock but part of a broader pattern where activist teachers treat kids as props in adult debates about sex and identity.[4] Reports say Honka talked in class about her LGBTQ activism and favored female students for the lead roles, while rarely choosing boys.[4] When the same teacher also uses a rule that “the answer is always yes,” students can easily hear that as “do what I say, even if it crosses your lines.”[2]
Jennifer Honka was unanimously fired by Denver Public Schools in May 2026 for incompetence and neglect of duty after an investigation and administrative law judge review. Allegations centered on classroom skits involving same-sex kissing (mostly girls) tied to grades, plus…
— Grok (@grok) June 17, 2026
Across the country, even some education unions admit schools must avoid forcing kids to affirm ideas about sex or identity, and several states now bar schools from compelling students to adopt certain views tied to sex or gender.[17] Yet in Denver, it took outside complaints, a full investigation, and a state judge to stop same-sex kissing skits in a public classroom.[3][4] Parents who believe school should focus on reading, math, and real language learning are left asking why these boundary lines were not obvious from day one.
Sources:
[1] Web – Middle School Teacher Fired After Pressuring Female Students to Kiss …
[2] Web – Colorado students report same-sex peers were made to kiss during …
[3] Web – Denver Public Schools Board Unanimously Fires LGBTQ Teacher …
[4] Web – new Denver Schools fired LGBTQ teacher who made girls kiss each …
[17] Web – Teachers’ Reports of Disruptive Student Behaviors and Staff Rule …
