Colorado: “Former Middle School Dean Who Objected to Book Removals Sues Elizabeth School District”

From Chalkbeat Colorado:

A former middle school administrator in the Elizabeth School District filed a lawsuit Sunday against the rural Colorado district, alleging that she was fired after she objected to the removal of 19 titles from school libraries last year.

LeEllen Condry, who served as dean of students at Elizabeth Middle School, said she was terminated after three months because she’s “a Black woman who dared to speak out against the discriminatory book ban,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court, alleges that the school district violated Condry’s free speech rights and discriminated against her based on race and sex.

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From Denver 7 (Includes Video Interview)

Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued ESD for removing the books from the libraries, and a federal judge ordered ESD to bring the banned books back on the shelves. Denver7 listened to a former ESD educator who said this decision “isn’t taking anything away from parents, but it’s giving a lot back to the kids.”

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“The main point of doing this is that no person should be fired for speaking out against something that’s wrong,” said Condry.” For example, no books should be removed. No books should be on a sensitive list. We are all here to grow and learn from each other, and that’s key to our growth as people.”

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From Colorado Public Radio

In an August 2024 email to staff, the superintendent, Dan Snowberger, described the board’s responsibility to respond to the voters of the “very conservative community.”

“Our parents, though they may see things differently than you, are not ignorant, uneducated, or racist. They simply have different points of view than you may have. Yes, there are some in our community who may disagree with the majority of Elbert County residents as a whole. We live in a very conservative community and must recognize our board’s charge is to respond to the community that elected them and holds them accountable,” Snowberger wrote.

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“The Elizabeth School District has sought to silence the voices of Black women within the walls of its schools. It has done so through the imposition of a Book Ban prohibiting literary works that speak to the Black experience from its school library shelves,” the lawsuit claims.

According to the lawsuit, after Condry sent her letter disapproving of the district’s decision, she and other district employees received an email from Snowberger saying that some of the feedback on the decision “crossed the lines of professional and ethical behavior.”

Condry is requesting economic and compensatory damages, a written apology and mandatory training for the district and other forms of relief.

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From the Colorado Springs Gazette:

At the lawsuit’s core is a list of 19 books removed from school libraries.

They included “#Pride: Championing LGBTQ Rights” by Rebecca Felix, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher.

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Condry was terminated on Oct. 1, 2024, with Snowberger referencing “budgetary reasons” as the cause for her dismissal.

A month later, Condry was replaced by “a White woman who had no prior experience in the role” but who supported the book ban, according to the lawsuit.

Along with damages, including punitive damages, Condry is seeking a formal apology and the imposition of mandatory districtwide training.

“The district intends to defend itself in court, and the facts will show that the individual’s employment ended because she failed to take the steps to secure the necessary licensure for the position, and because the position was one of several eliminated for cost-saving reasons during a fiscal exigency,” Snowberger said.

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Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, News, Profiles, School Libraries