According to WND, the 7-0 board decision followed an administrative law judge’s finding that Honka’s “choice of script forced [students] to express their preferences and consent about a very personal and sexualized activity on the spot in front of their peers.”
The judge concluded this conduct went far beyond acceptable pedagogy, particularly in a taxpayer-funded public school entrusted with the care of minors.
June 17, 2026
The case underscores growing parental concern that activist educators are using classrooms to push sexualized and ideological content rather than focusing on academic excellence.
Honka, who taught at Northeast Early College high school, ran bi-weekly skits as graded assignments in her French Language and Culture class.
Students were evaluated in part on how they performed these skits, which, according to the independent review, “were always the same sex” pairings when kissing was involved.
One student who refused to participate testified she received a zero on the assignment, a severe penalty that reinforced the sense of coercion.
Students later told other teachers they felt pressured and deeply uncomfortable being compelled to engage in intimate, same-gender role-plays in front of their classmates.
The judge highlighted the power imbalance at work, noting that a teacher directing minors to perform intimate acts while controlling their grades cannot credibly claim the encounters were voluntary.
Honka reportedly enforced a classroom policy that “the answer is always ‘yes’ in this class,” a phrase that, in this context, effectively stripped students of meaningful consent.
An independent review, issued on April 30 and obtained by CBS Colorado, recorded that “one student told an NEC chemistry teacher about the skits in April 2024.”
“The student was very uncomfortable and did not know what to do,” the report stated, adding, “She went ahead and kissed another student at (Honka)’s direction. The student then shared a digital meme with (the chemistry teacher) that included a picture of (Honka) and the caption ‘she makes girls kiss.’ The meme had circulated among the students.”
The report further noted the toll on the girl’s well-being: “After this incident, the student’s attendance decreased dramatically.”
Another student interviewed in the review testified that Honka always selected girls to act in the skits and “could not recall Honka choosing a boy actor,” despite a nearly even split between male and female students in the class.
The misconduct extended beyond the skits, as Honka also shared deeply inappropriate personal details with students, blurring every professional boundary expected in a public school classroom.
These disclosures, combined with the pressured kissing scenes, “crossed every professional line,” according to the findings.
Honka claimed she was being targeted because of her union activity and homosexuality, attempting to frame the case as discrimination rather than misconduct.
The judge rejected those arguments, noting that while some students referenced her LGBTQ status, there was no evidence of overt bias driving the complaints, only concern over her behavior toward minors.
Another student said she walked out of the class rather than comply with the skit demands, a quiet act of resistance that many parents would regard as common sense in the face of adult overreach.
In an era when President Trump’s second administration is emphasizing parental rights and restoring academic rigor, the Honka case stands as a stark reminder of why families are demanding transparency, accountability, and a return to basic educational standards in America’s public schools.
