August 29, 2025 • 8 mins
WHY ARE THEIR RACIAL PREFERENCES IN THE DPS CONTRACT? I've got Erin Lee from Protect Kids Colorado on the show at 12:30 to discuss the new union contract that requires racial preferences in hiring and training and is clearly in violation of edicts handed down by the Trump administration. Read more about that here. And then there's this, where Denver Public Schools is also changing more bathrooms to "all gender" bathrooms in defiance of the order as well. The Trump admin is already aware of the latter as you can see below. Lots to chat about today.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
She's always fighting for Colorado kids and kids all over
the country. She was just a mom, just a mom
hanging out when she found out that her daughter was
being asked to join a club and then being told
she was trands, and on and on, And we're going
to get to that in a second. With Aaron Lee
with Protect Kids Colorado. Aaron, good to see again.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
First of all, hey me, any, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
So we have so much to talk about. We started
out on Monday communicating you were to conference. I'm like, oh,
we have to talk about what's in the DPS contract. Well,
since then, the DPS contract has been ratified by the teachers.
But what was so egregious about what was in that
contract that got the ire of not just Protect Kids Colorado,
but other parental organizations.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, well, I through Defending Education, we followed a formal
letter asking them to remove all of the mandated diversity,
equity and inclusion. So, if you were to do a
word search on this bargaining agreement, the number one you used.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Word as equity.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It is throughout the entire thing mandatory training for equity,
mandatory hiring standards which are very clearly biased and discriminatory
mandating that you must hire a certain amount of people
of color, really just forcing DEI.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Into the classroom.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
And this is a school district where less than thirty
percent of the kids can read and do mathic grade level.
Yet they're focusing all of their attention and money. Really,
our taxpayer dollars are going towards DEI rather than learning.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
In the contract, how much was about hiring teachers that
have a proven track record of success, like really excellent teachers,
or or accountability for teachers that may not be performing
at the highest level.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
How much of that is in there as I read it? Nothing?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
And as we're seeing school districts like DPS taking away
merit based ranking for students, they're also not worried about
merit and they're hiring practices just equity and DEI.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
One of the most frustrating thoughts that is so pervasive
among those who are just completely wedded to DEI is
that if you just get a teacher in front of
a student that looks like them, right flying that brown
students can only learn from brown teachers. Black students can
only learn from black teachers. Now, don't get me wrong,
I would love to have role models of every stripe
(02:08):
in every school. You know, upstanding people from all walks
of life. But the notion that a black or brown
kid can't learn from a great white teacher is just stupid.
It's just dumb, and it's insulting and it's racist, frankly,
and it sounds like they just codified that all into
their contract.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
They did.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, we specifically asked them to take out Article thirty one,
which was focused on equity hiring and training. They have
mandatory DEI training, mandatory DEI hiring requirements, and we asked
them to remove that.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
They did not.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
They went and ratified this agreement in with that still intact.
One thing they did do was replace references to race
and color with the term marginalized groups instead.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
So different.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's semantics gate, you know, a game of semantics. But
the end result is the same.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
And this is not all the Denver Public Schools has
been up to. They have now found themselves in the
cross pairs of the Trump administration. You would think for
everything we just talked about the fact that the teachers
union contract is riddled with the word equity more than
any other word in the contract. But no, the Trump
administration is now paying closer attention because of bathrooms.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Tell me what is going on there?
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, well, one thing I should have mentioned is that, yes,
it's horrible that DEI is littered throughout, but they're breaking law.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It's unconstitutional for them to force DEI the way that
they are.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
So DPS early on in the Trump administration, back in January,
actually back in winter break, they refurbished their female bathroom
at East High School into an all gender bathroom, but
left the male bathroom intact. So they eliminated the only
single sex space for females and left the male bathroom.
So males can use any bathroom, females can only use
(03:49):
one that'll also allows males in. And so the Trump
administration sent them a very strongly worded letter and opened
a Title nine investigation on Denver Public schools. And now
yesterday they have the findings of their investigation and they
are in no uncertain terms demanding that DPS change these
policies that allow males to use female single sex spaces
(04:11):
or else.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
So what I find remarkable, Aaron, is where are the
parents here? This is I you know, I realized that
a lot of parents, especially single parents, they're working, they're
doing all of these things. But dang, make a phone call, like,
pick up the phone.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And say it's not okay.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
This should not be okay that girls now don't have
an option to pee at school if they're uncomfortable being
in a bathroom.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
With a boy. That's ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And please, for that person who's about to text me,
why is he 'tcomfortable the way that the back.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
I don't care why she's uncomfortable.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
She deserves to have a space where she can go
urinate without feeling like she is under attack, and like
it or not, that's just the way things are.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Well, this is just so stupid.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So what is Has the school district responded to your
knowledge that?
Speaker 2 (04:59):
No, it seems like they're doubling down. It's my understanding.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
They actually added another all gender bathroom instead of backtracking
on eliminating the female spaces. And it's important to point
out that, you know, I believe transgenderism facilitates misogyny.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
They didn't eliminate the male bathroom.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
They eliminated the female single sex space. And to your point,
where are the dads like parents in general? Yes, but
why are these board meetings not packed out with angry
fathers wanting to protect their daughters. As we saw in
Loudon County, Virginia, the whole state election was shifted by
girls being raped in their bathroom by trans identified males.
(05:34):
So there clearly are real serious ramifications of allowing males
into these female spaces. We're not asking for a whole lot,
and it's not discriminatory to say that Title nine should
be upheld.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Aaron Lee is my guest with Protect Kids Colorado. Now, Aaron,
I want to Aaron was just a mom whose daughter
found herself being invited to what was supposed to be
an art club meeting turned out to be a gender
identity situation and created havoc for her daughter, and Aaron
found herself thrust into the spotlight a little bit. But boy,
I'm going to say, you have really strapped on the
(06:08):
battle armer rhetorically speaking, and I am just amazed at
how you continue to just engage and engage and engage.
Let's talk about the fact that Aaron Lee is now
going to have a case heard at the Supreme Court.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Hopefully we have filed our certain petition to the Supreme
Court for them to take up the case. There are
four secret school transitions that have been or will be filed,
and so I hope that ours is the one that's heard,
or at least there's a consolidation and we're considered. But
I think this issue will be decided at the Supreme Court,
probably in the spring session. They'll decide and fall whether
or not to hear them. But they've really taken a
(06:45):
liking to the transgender issue and recognize there such a
great area around parents'.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Rights, and the basis of my lawsuit is.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Really common sense to do parents have the right to
direct the care, custody and control of their children?
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Ye?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Or does that right belong to the state And as
we know, that is an inalienable right that belongs to parents.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Well, I agree, aarin. So when will you know if
they're taking up your case?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
So hopefully September or October when they call conference, they
will make that decision. But again, you know, it's a
big deal for it to be sitting there. Pam Bondi
actually was our lead attorney before she took another job,
So there's a lot of eyes on this issue and
on this case. And it wouldn't just set precedent here
in Colorado, that would set precedent in the entire country
that schools must pass a policy that parents will be
(07:30):
notified when their child is transitioned.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Like I wasn't.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Yeah, I think for sure. I realized that the people
who say, you know, we're protecting the kids, that is
an assumption that every parent is the kind of parent
who would react badly and abusively to a child, And
that assumption is flat out wrong. So I'm glad you
guys are fighting this. What else were we going to
talk about, because I gotta take a break. What was
the other thing?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Erin?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
We were stacking them all up before we did this.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Uh, well, our thirteenth twelve lawsuit, so defending EDCPAN and PKCEE.
We filed this letter to DPS, but we also filed
a federal lawsuit against house built thirteen twelve.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, you know what, We're going to talk about that
later when the lawsuit moves further along. We'll talk about
that later. But keep doing what you're doing protect kids.
Colorado is a wonderful organization. If you as a parent
or a grandparent, even if your kids are out of
the schools, you need to understand that some of the
stuff that's going on is absolutely crazy and they're helping
protect our kids.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Erin, Thanks so much for your time today, Thanks for
having me
She's always fighting for Colorado kids and kids all over
the country. She was just a mom, just a mom
hanging out when she found out that her daughter was
being asked to join a club and then being told
she was trands, and on and on, And we're going
to get to that in a second. With Aaron Lee
with Protect Kids Colorado. Aaron, good to see again.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
First of all, hey me, any, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
So we have so much to talk about. We started
out on Monday communicating you were to conference. I'm like, oh,
we have to talk about what's in the DPS contract. Well,
since then, the DPS contract has been ratified by the teachers.
But what was so egregious about what was in that
contract that got the ire of not just Protect Kids Colorado,
but other parental organizations.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, well, I through Defending Education, we followed a formal
letter asking them to remove all of the mandated diversity,
equity and inclusion. So, if you were to do a
word search on this bargaining agreement, the number one you used.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Word as equity.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It is throughout the entire thing mandatory training for equity,
mandatory hiring standards which are very clearly biased and discriminatory
mandating that you must hire a certain amount of people
of color, really just forcing DEI.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Into the classroom.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
And this is a school district where less than thirty
percent of the kids can read and do mathic grade level.
Yet they're focusing all of their attention and money. Really,
our taxpayer dollars are going towards DEI rather than learning.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
In the contract, how much was about hiring teachers that
have a proven track record of success, like really excellent teachers,
or or accountability for teachers that may not be performing
at the highest level.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
How much of that is in there as I read it? Nothing?
Speaker 3 (01:37):
And as we're seeing school districts like DPS taking away
merit based ranking for students, they're also not worried about
merit and they're hiring practices just equity and DEI.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
One of the most frustrating thoughts that is so pervasive
among those who are just completely wedded to DEI is
that if you just get a teacher in front of
a student that looks like them, right flying that brown
students can only learn from brown teachers. Black students can
only learn from black teachers. Now, don't get me wrong,
I would love to have role models of every stripe
(02:08):
in every school. You know, upstanding people from all walks
of life. But the notion that a black or brown
kid can't learn from a great white teacher is just stupid.
It's just dumb, and it's insulting and it's racist, frankly,
and it sounds like they just codified that all into
their contract.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
They did.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, we specifically asked them to take out Article thirty one,
which was focused on equity hiring and training. They have
mandatory DEI training, mandatory DEI hiring requirements, and we asked
them to remove that.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
They did not.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
They went and ratified this agreement in with that still intact.
One thing they did do was replace references to race
and color with the term marginalized groups instead.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
So different.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's semantics gate, you know, a game of semantics. But
the end result is the same.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
And this is not all the Denver Public Schools has
been up to. They have now found themselves in the
cross pairs of the Trump administration. You would think for
everything we just talked about the fact that the teachers
union contract is riddled with the word equity more than
any other word in the contract. But no, the Trump
administration is now paying closer attention because of bathrooms.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Tell me what is going on there?
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, well, one thing I should have mentioned is that, yes,
it's horrible that DEI is littered throughout, but they're breaking law.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It's unconstitutional for them to force DEI the way that
they are.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
So DPS early on in the Trump administration, back in January,
actually back in winter break, they refurbished their female bathroom
at East High School into an all gender bathroom, but
left the male bathroom intact. So they eliminated the only
single sex space for females and left the male bathroom.
So males can use any bathroom, females can only use
(03:49):
one that'll also allows males in. And so the Trump
administration sent them a very strongly worded letter and opened
a Title nine investigation on Denver Public schools. And now
yesterday they have the findings of their investigation and they
are in no uncertain terms demanding that DPS change these
policies that allow males to use female single sex spaces
(04:11):
or else.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
So what I find remarkable, Aaron, is where are the
parents here? This is I you know, I realized that
a lot of parents, especially single parents, they're working, they're
doing all of these things. But dang, make a phone call, like,
pick up the phone.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And say it's not okay.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
This should not be okay that girls now don't have
an option to pee at school if they're uncomfortable being
in a bathroom.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
With a boy. That's ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And please, for that person who's about to text me,
why is he 'tcomfortable the way that the back.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
I don't care why she's uncomfortable.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
She deserves to have a space where she can go
urinate without feeling like she is under attack, and like
it or not, that's just the way things are.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Well, this is just so stupid.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So what is Has the school district responded to your
knowledge that?
Speaker 2 (04:59):
No, it seems like they're doubling down. It's my understanding.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
They actually added another all gender bathroom instead of backtracking
on eliminating the female spaces. And it's important to point
out that, you know, I believe transgenderism facilitates misogyny.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
They didn't eliminate the male bathroom.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
They eliminated the female single sex space. And to your point,
where are the dads like parents in general? Yes, but
why are these board meetings not packed out with angry
fathers wanting to protect their daughters. As we saw in
Loudon County, Virginia, the whole state election was shifted by
girls being raped in their bathroom by trans identified males.
(05:34):
So there clearly are real serious ramifications of allowing males
into these female spaces. We're not asking for a whole lot,
and it's not discriminatory to say that Title nine should
be upheld.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Aaron Lee is my guest with Protect Kids Colorado. Now, Aaron,
I want to Aaron was just a mom whose daughter
found herself being invited to what was supposed to be
an art club meeting turned out to be a gender
identity situation and created havoc for her daughter, and Aaron
found herself thrust into the spotlight a little bit. But boy,
I'm going to say, you have really strapped on the
(06:08):
battle armer rhetorically speaking, and I am just amazed at
how you continue to just engage and engage and engage.
Let's talk about the fact that Aaron Lee is now
going to have a case heard at the Supreme Court.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Hopefully we have filed our certain petition to the Supreme
Court for them to take up the case. There are
four secret school transitions that have been or will be filed,
and so I hope that ours is the one that's heard,
or at least there's a consolidation and we're considered. But
I think this issue will be decided at the Supreme Court,
probably in the spring session. They'll decide and fall whether
or not to hear them. But they've really taken a
(06:45):
liking to the transgender issue and recognize there such a
great area around parents'.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Rights, and the basis of my lawsuit is.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Really common sense to do parents have the right to
direct the care, custody and control of their children?
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Ye?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Or does that right belong to the state And as
we know, that is an inalienable right that belongs to parents.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Well, I agree, aarin. So when will you know if
they're taking up your case?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
So hopefully September or October when they call conference, they
will make that decision. But again, you know, it's a
big deal for it to be sitting there. Pam Bondi
actually was our lead attorney before she took another job,
So there's a lot of eyes on this issue and
on this case. And it wouldn't just set precedent here
in Colorado, that would set precedent in the entire country
that schools must pass a policy that parents will be
(07:30):
notified when their child is transitioned.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Like I wasn't.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Yeah, I think for sure. I realized that the people
who say, you know, we're protecting the kids, that is
an assumption that every parent is the kind of parent
who would react badly and abusively to a child, And
that assumption is flat out wrong. So I'm glad you
guys are fighting this. What else were we going to
talk about, because I gotta take a break. What was
the other thing?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Erin?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
We were stacking them all up before we did this.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Uh, well, our thirteenth twelve lawsuit, so defending EDCPAN and PKCEE.
We filed this letter to DPS, but we also filed
a federal lawsuit against house built thirteen twelve.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, you know what, We're going to talk about that
later when the lawsuit moves further along. We'll talk about
that later. But keep doing what you're doing protect kids.
Colorado is a wonderful organization. If you as a parent
or a grandparent, even if your kids are out of
the schools, you need to understand that some of the
stuff that's going on is absolutely crazy and they're helping
protect our kids.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Erin, Thanks so much for your time today, Thanks for
having me
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