Parents and residents press Elizabeth School District on staff survey, student privacy and book litigation

Several residents used the board’s 30-minute public-comment block to raise personnel, privacy and litigation concerns.

Lisa Beach urged trustees to help promote the Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) anonymous staff survey administered by the Colorado Department of Education, saying it takes 'about 10 to 15 minutes' and that the district needs 50% participation to get usable results. Beach listed school-level response counts she had checked online: 'Elizabeth High School, they have 0% responding,' the middle school '5 people,' and several smaller schools at '0,' and said the district is facing 'a turnover rate of about 40%.'

Michelle Thompson told the board she was speaking 'to preserve the bodily autonomy of our students' and said a high-school system called Minga 'exposes private and personal things about our children' including bathroom-use data and time spent there; she asked the board to remove the program.

Michelle Gocinski urged the board to end the district’s ACLU lawsuit, saying the challenged books 'sat on library shelves for years without incident' and that litigation diverted resources: 'Instead of hiring 4 or 5 teachers, district funds were spent on attorneys.' She requested a forensic audit to explain 'significant fluctuations in the budget' and to show how money was reallocated to consultants and legal fees.

Roxanne Aviles, who identified herself as a Fourth Congressional District advisory-council representative, objected to a proposed edit to the parent engagement policy that would remove the word 'families,' arguing that the change risks excluding grandparents and other caregivers who serve on advisory committees and volunteer roles and could reduce engagement.

The board did not take action during the public-comment period but acknowledged the range of concerns and asked staff to follow up where appropriate.