Colorado —
The Douglas County School District RE-1 in Castle Rock, Colo., recently apologized after allowing a Christian organization to read a religious children’s book to elementary school students.
A district parent reported that on April 1, Prairie Crossing Elementary School invited the politically conservative and Christian organization, Grandparents 4 Kids, to the school to read the book “Why America Matters.” FFRF’s complainant stated that Grandparents 4 Kids is aligned with Christian nationalist organizations such as Moms for Liberty. The book in question explicitly mentions and promotes a belief in God and faith.
FFRF learned that the book reading was at least partially organized by a school board member. The complainant reported that Grandparents 4 Kids were allowed to read the story to multiple classrooms of kids during the day. Additionally, when another parent contacted District Superintendent Erin Kane, Kane stated that she will not prevent Grandparents 4 Kids from presenting similar religious material to students at district schools in the future. FFRF’s complainant explained that they are an atheist and are raising their children to be nonreligious. They stated that they were “extremely upset to learn that [Kane] is sanctioning this and that it will continue.”
“If Prairie Crossing Elementary School now claims that the Grandparents 4 Kids event was voluntary — though our complainant states parents were given no notice of the event and no opt-out option — voluntariness is not a safeguard against violating students’ First Amendment rights,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the district.
After FFRF sent the district a letter, the district’s legal counsel wrote back to acknowledge the concerns raised by the complainant. Deputy General Counsel Wendy Jacobs affirmed that the district has policies implemented regarding nondiscrimination related to the basis of religion and educational equity. “In the situation involving the Grandparents 4 Kids presentation on April 1, 2025, the policies were followed, but there was an inadvertent error in the vetting process (a couple of pages were missed),” Jacobs wrote. “It was not the result of a lack of appropriate policies or training, but rather a mistake that has been addressed.” FFRF assured the complainant that the district acknowledged the mistake and would work not to have it happen again.
