Chalkbeat

It was the Colorado Students Demand Action chapter’s fourth rally since local students ramped up organizing efforts in the wake of a 2023 shooting at Denver’s East High School. The organization helps mobilize high school and college students to advocate for gun violence prevention measures. Colorado’s chapter is the largest of its kind in the country, national organizers said.

House Bill 1028, which passed the House Education Committee Thursday with an 8-5 vote, says only 55 of the state’s 179 school districts offer a biliteracy seal. This disproportionately leaves out students in rural districts, small schools, or districts, the bill says.

Colorado lawmakers want to help parents who feel ‘ghosted’ by the federal Office for Civil Rights.

The Jan. 13 recommendation by U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell is a tentative win for state officials and a loss for the eight plaintiffs, which include four school districts, three charter schools, and one public education cooperative.

The idea, brought to lawmakers by the Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, is the most recent proposal to retool the state’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights. TABOR, as it’s known, limits the state’s revenue growth, making it hard to spend more money on schools and other priorities.

There are several big education issues Colorado will face in 2026 including finding funding amid a budget crunch, and evolving policies around cell phones in schools.

Chalkbeat Colorado shares a few of the educational topics they plan to follow and cover in the new year.

The agreement marks the end of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s involvement in a federal lawsuit spearheaded last spring by the 27,000-student District 49 near Colorado Springs. The lawsuit will continue with other defendants, including Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and officials from the Colorado Civil Rights Division.

Angie Paccione has led the Colorado Department of Higher Education as its executive director since 2019, when Gov. Jared Polis took office. Colorado’s higher education department provides support to campuses and develops statewide policies.

The Denver Public Schools Foundation is using a fund to buy grocery gift cards for families affected by the delays in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments and to help stock school food pantries, which have reportedly seen an uptick in visitors.