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.
- You can view the full list of books on the sensitive topic book catalog here or in the embed below:
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."
Now, there is a new lawsuit against ESD, where Condry argues she was fired for speaking out against the book ban and making her voice heard.
She started work in August 2024 as the Dean of Students for Elizabeth Middle School, where she described her position as helping students choose classes, along with ensuring students were behaving and treating each other with kindness.
"I was just excited to have this position because I felt this was the next step up for me of working in administration, and then the book ban happened," Condry told Denver7 Monday.
The book ban was described by Condry as "heartbreaking" as she said there were no conversations involving staff about this decision.
"I felt that my history, who I am as an individual, was being erased," said Condry. "I didn't sign up for this when I came out here. They weren't honest in that they were going to have this book ban. They didn't talk to me about it, didn't talk to anybody about it. It was just like, 'that's how it is, and this is what's going to happen.' I just felt that I wasn't being seen nor heard."
The Follow Up
ACLU files lawsuit against Elizabeth School District over book ban
During this time, Condry said people were frightened to speak up against the book ban because they were afraid to lose their jobs. However, she explained she made her voice heard by writing a letter to the board, saying the book ban was unethical and racist.
"I wasn't afraid to speak up. I didn't really care if I lost my job," said Condry. "I needed people to understand that I have a voice. You can't just shut me down just because you want to get rid of these books that you don't like, or you don't agree with one single portion in the book. You need to take time to read what these books are about, because once you do, you'll understand why this certain aspect of the book was written."
After three months of working for the district, Condry said her job ended on Oct. 1, 2024, with the district claiming they have a fiscal exigency. However, Condry explained that now, a year later, there is a new dean of students at Elizabeth Middle School.
"So there's not a fiscal exigency. They just created this excuse so that they don't have to deal with me and how I'm standing up for those who need to be heard," Condry said.
Moving forward, Condry hopes this lawsuit will hold the board and the superintendent accountable.
"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."
Denver7 reached out to ESD for comment on the lawsuit and was provided with the following statement:
The district is aware that a former employee has filed claims alleging discrimination. The employee’s claims are not new and are part of a broader effort by the ACLU to attack the district because of a few decisions a vocal minority disagrees with. The district has and will continue to defend itself in federal court from outside interests attempting to strong-arm the district’s elected board—a board that was overly retained by the voters a few short weeks ago. 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.
On the district's website, there is a pop-up window that informs online visitors of the new and improved website, along with ways to support the legal fund established to assist the district in its legal battle with the ACLU.
