Former dean files lawsuit against Elizabeth School District over book ban firing [View all]

https://www.denver7.com/lifestyle/education/former-dean-files-lawsuit-against-elizabeth-school-district-over-book-ban-firing

ELIZABETH, Colo. — A lawsuit has been filed against the Elizabeth School District after LeEllen Condry, the former Elizabeth Middle School Dean of Students, claims she was fired for opposing the book ban, calling it unethical and racist.

Denver7 has been following this story since the decision to first ban books and the updates that have followed. In August 2024, the Elizabeth School District Board of Education voted to remove nearly two dozen books from library shelves, including Thirteen Reasons Why, #Pride: Championing LGBTQ Rights, The Kite Runner, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and others.

"I'll deal with the elephant in the room. This is not book banning," said board secretary Mary Powell during the board meeting. "They are not on our shelf because we do not feel they fulfill the educational protocols that we believe in for this district."

The board also came up with a "sensitive topic protocol" where parents can opt their children out of checking out books that have certain topics like racism/discrimination, profanity/obscenity, religious viewpoints, and sexual content. A total of 138 books were on the sensitive topic book catalog, including "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl", "To Kill a Mockingbird", and the Bible.