April 15, 2025 • 12 mins
LINDSAY DATKO HAS BEEN BUSY HOLDING JEFFCO SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE Demonstrating what some very angry parents are capable of when mad, Lindsay Datko has been the force behind JeffCo Kids First, an organization that aims to put kids at the top of every decision. Seems harmless enough. They have been super busy finding out about all the sexual misconduct happening in JeffCo schools and demanding accountability from a board that seems to believe parents are the problem. Their work is getting noticed by Libs of TikTok, watch this.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Lindsay Dadco. She is a Jefferson County Public school's mom
who got her eyes opened during the COVID nonsense that
went on way too long and since been part of
the group and founder of the group Jefferson or jeff
Co Kids First, and you can follow them on Facebook
at jeff Co Kids First. Joining me now, Lindsay Dadko
(00:21):
with an update.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Lindsey, let me take you back to.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The beginning of all this, when you were just trying
to get mask mandates taken care of, or you were
just trying to inject some reason into the policies of
Jefferson County Public Schools. Could you even imagine that you
would still be doing this so many years later?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Absolutely never imagined it.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
But I think our work now is just as or
more important than our work then.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It's been shocking to see some of the stuff that
you guys have been uncovering. Tell me a little bit
about the latest thing that you presented to the school board,
at least tried to. They did their very best to
make sure that you didn't have enough time to get
it on the record, but I think you managed to
do a good job anyway. What did you just present
to the Jefferson County Public School Board.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Well, with my team of policy experts and investigative experts
and legal experience, we have put together documentation showing twenty
six cases of sexual assault, abuse, misconduct, hiring and firing,
and reporting gaps that we presented to the board this
(01:31):
last week. And we want to show a pattern of
past degregious behavior so that we can find solutions.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
What kind of I'm trying to ask the way think
about how to ask this question. Do you believe that
jeff Co has an exorbit an exorbitant number of these cases?
Is there something in the Jeffco Public schools culture that
creates a breeding ground for some of these cases or
is this just what's happening across the country and school districts.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, it's clear that this is an issue that many
school districts and parents and advocates are looking into.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
And I will say that I believe.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
In Jefferson County Public Schools the policies allow for predatory
behavior to flip through the cracks. For example, we have
the Transgender Equal Opportunity Policy that allowed for all kinds
of parental deception for talking to kids about their sexuality.
We have use of the term trusted adult, where it
(02:33):
allows employees to self identify as a child's trusted adult
and talk about sensitive topics with them. And so those
types of policies really are a breeding ground and our
right for pretor predators to come and apply and work here.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
I would say that. And I don't know the school
board president's name off the top of my head, but
I saw some commentary from her and she is, it
is my understanding, a cost of volunteer, And I think
the cost of program is an incredible program, and they
advocate for children in the justice system not because they
committed a crime, but because of parental issues, and it's
(03:09):
a wonderful organization. But I'm also aware of the training
that you do in KASA. And she has said a
few things that give me the impression that she thinks
parents are primarily the problem. Do you have the same
sense from her or am I reading too much into
the things that she said?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, And I think you're talking about a board meeting
following the Chief of Schools news coming out about the
child's sexual assault material and it was unfortunate after the
Ralston House came and presented to the board and talked
about the fact that it's an adult in a child's
(03:48):
life who has the greatest likelihood of being a perpetrator.
And then she really missed the mark as the board
president by focusing on an incident which involved a child parent.
And when you are a board president of a school district,
you have got to portray the correct message, especially in
a time of crisis, and she definitely missed the mark
(04:10):
in that regard.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
It came across as if she sort of said we
need to Actually she did say we need to train
students to recognize this soft abuse. Well, I mean, if
you ask my teenager if me making her clean up
her room when she doesn't want to is soft abuse,
I can guarantee she will raise her hand and say, yes,
I'm being abused because I have to clean my room.
It has created this US against them mentality, though I
(04:35):
feel it. I'm not even a jeff co parent, And
it's unfortunate because this should be the greatest partnership that
exists for parents, is the school district. Right when I
was a kid, we didn't have nearly the issues that
kids today have. But my parents were fully supportive of
the school system, and the school system was fully supportive
of my parents. It was a two way street and
(04:56):
we've just kind of lost the message on this when
you guys present about these sexual abuse cases. What was
the response from the board at that time.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well, unfortunately, we did have a lot of media cover it.
We had multiple TV news, The Denver Gazette was their
front page, and after we presented it to the board,
their response to the media was basically a challenge, which.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
They did not give directly to us.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
They gave it through the media, a challenge to present
the documentation evidence. And my response to that is, you
gave us the documentation to your legal department and open
record system, and that was just a huge red flag
again that instead of asking us to partner with them
(05:45):
to express their shock and dismay to come quickly and
present the documentation, they instead give us a challenge to
use their own records and prove what we have outlined.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, I certainly hope you offered to do that for
a reasonable fee that I'm sure you paid yourself. It
would be easy for you to just say, oh, yeah,
it will cost you X amount of dollars and I
will make you a copy of everything that I've got
and that shows to me an unseriousness lindsay about the problem,
and I think that that flippancy is why national media
(06:18):
picked us up all over the country.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
It was crazy, absolutely, And we are a volunteer organization
and we have no expectation and no ask other than
we'd like to present this to you and really get
a solid solution and protocols in that ensure proper reporting,
that ensure we are avoiding predators in our district and
(06:41):
avoiding passing them around to other districts and other schools.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So what would you like to see on that last point?
How did you stop that? Is it a matter of
reporting to what agency?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, there is in the statue.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
It does require the superintendent or a designy to report
with intending when they believe there is professional incompetence or
unethical behavior, and certainly grooming would fall under those categories.
And so what we are asking is that there is
a much swister reporting action on their end.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
And that is just one piece of this, but it's
a big piece.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Would that have changed the case of the now young
woman who is living in California with her former teacher
who was helping her manage or navigate her sexuality? According
to the principle of Columbide High School. Would that have
changed anything in that case? If the mother had said, look,
(07:40):
I found these text messages.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
What would that have kicked in?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
If they had followed procedure or did they follow procedure
as it exists.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
That would have changed everything. That could have saved that student.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
And the parents who I've worked with for three years
have said repeatedly, if only they had made a mandatory report,
it would have put.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
An end to it, because instead they kept.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
The parents out of that situation, and a failure to
report failed a family and this student in the most
egregious way.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I want to direct your attention. I know you've seen it.
Lips of TikTok picked it up a passionate bit of
testimony from a man in Jefferson County who actually lost
custody of his kid because he would not affirm the
gender of his kid. I'm assuming you know that, gentleman.
And now it seems that there is what one counselor
who is facilitating this kind of parental intervention on more
(08:36):
than one occasion. What is that story?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yes, and I do know that parent and I always
verify before I take something on and was able to
read the court documents, and when he says that that
case is only about him not affirming his daughter, he
is not kidding. And because I was able to read
the documentation, I saw the name of the counselor and
(09:00):
immediately knew that we had already uncovered information on that
counselor that made a Fox News story lash in twenty
twenty three. And in that story, she taught the Open
Records show that she called it detrimental to out a
child to their parents and discussed in depth the parental deception.
(09:21):
And we have since changed those policies through our advocacy work.
But again, it changed the culture in jeff Co.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
And it allows for predatory behavior.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
It absolutely does. So what I think needs to happen
here and correct me if I'm wrong, lindsay, I think
we need new board members because everything gets directed from
the top. We've got to have a new superintendent. But
is it too entrenched in the rank and file teachers.
I don't know why teachers are so obsessed with gay
and trans issues now, I honestly don't. I mean, with
(09:53):
all of the things to be obsessed with, it is
amazing to me that they are so obsessed with these
issues to the point where they are willing to put
it out there as a political, you know, hurdle, and
yet it seems to be getting more entrenched. Do you
feel like jeff Co could turn the corner with different leadership?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Definitely could turn the corner. And what I hear is
that three of them are either not running or potentially
not supported by the union. And that's just a word
of mouth, but that definitely everything comes back to leadership everything,
and we definitely are hopeful to see something happens where
(10:33):
somebody stands up and just takes the leadership role that
is needed in Jefferson County.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And before you guys send me the email, why doesn't
she do it? Jeff Co Kids versus a five oh
one C three organization, which is explicitly forbids them from
being basically playing in the political sandbox. They are an
advocacy organization, so they will stay on the advocacy side.
And I got to tell you, Lindsay, I think it
(11:00):
would be great if you were on the school board,
but I think that what you guys are doing at
jeff Co Kids First is almost more important right now
than just getting on the school board. Because it is.
We're in an unfortunate period of time right now in
that as we're going through this journalism kind of contraction.
People used to work at a newspaper their sole job
(11:22):
was to cover school board stuff, right we don't have
that anymore. So it really is kind of up to
citizen journalists like you who have said this is not okay.
I'm going to get to the bottom of it. And
as much as I think you'd be amazing on the
school board, boy, am I glad you are where you
are right now. But I do hope that there are
other people, maybe even in your organization, who would consider
stepping up and running, and I will be more than
(11:44):
happy to have every single one of them on this show,
because I have seen jeff co change even more dramatically
than Doug Co since I've been here. In the last
thirteen years. It has been a They had a conservative board.
When I moved here, the conservative board got kicked out
by the unions and everything went batpoop crazy from that
point on. I'm not saying the Conservative board was perfect,
(12:05):
but holy maclarney, we've got to pull some semblance of
reality back to Jefferson County Public Schools and Lindsay you
and your team, Thank you so much for doing what
you do and continue to do it and let me
know if there's anything I can amplify for you.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Thank you, Mandy all right, Gebett, that's Lindsay.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Dad to Lindsay, thanks for making time for me today.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Absolutely anytime,
Lindsay Dadco. She is a Jefferson County Public school's mom
who got her eyes opened during the COVID nonsense that
went on way too long and since been part of
the group and founder of the group Jefferson or jeff
Co Kids First, and you can follow them on Facebook
at jeff Co Kids First. Joining me now, Lindsay Dadko
(00:21):
with an update.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Lindsey, let me take you back to.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The beginning of all this, when you were just trying
to get mask mandates taken care of, or you were
just trying to inject some reason into the policies of
Jefferson County Public Schools. Could you even imagine that you
would still be doing this so many years later?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Absolutely never imagined it.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
But I think our work now is just as or
more important than our work then.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It's been shocking to see some of the stuff that
you guys have been uncovering. Tell me a little bit
about the latest thing that you presented to the school board,
at least tried to. They did their very best to
make sure that you didn't have enough time to get
it on the record, but I think you managed to
do a good job anyway. What did you just present
to the Jefferson County Public School Board.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Well, with my team of policy experts and investigative experts
and legal experience, we have put together documentation showing twenty
six cases of sexual assault, abuse, misconduct, hiring and firing,
and reporting gaps that we presented to the board this
(01:31):
last week. And we want to show a pattern of
past degregious behavior so that we can find solutions.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
What kind of I'm trying to ask the way think
about how to ask this question. Do you believe that
jeff Co has an exorbit an exorbitant number of these cases?
Is there something in the Jeffco Public schools culture that
creates a breeding ground for some of these cases or
is this just what's happening across the country and school districts.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, it's clear that this is an issue that many
school districts and parents and advocates are looking into.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
And I will say that I believe.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
In Jefferson County Public Schools the policies allow for predatory
behavior to flip through the cracks. For example, we have
the Transgender Equal Opportunity Policy that allowed for all kinds
of parental deception for talking to kids about their sexuality.
We have use of the term trusted adult, where it
(02:33):
allows employees to self identify as a child's trusted adult
and talk about sensitive topics with them. And so those
types of policies really are a breeding ground and our
right for pretor predators to come and apply and work here.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
I would say that. And I don't know the school
board president's name off the top of my head, but
I saw some commentary from her and she is, it
is my understanding, a cost of volunteer, And I think
the cost of program is an incredible program, and they
advocate for children in the justice system not because they
committed a crime, but because of parental issues, and it's
(03:09):
a wonderful organization. But I'm also aware of the training
that you do in KASA. And she has said a
few things that give me the impression that she thinks
parents are primarily the problem. Do you have the same
sense from her or am I reading too much into
the things that she said?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, And I think you're talking about a board meeting
following the Chief of Schools news coming out about the
child's sexual assault material and it was unfortunate after the
Ralston House came and presented to the board and talked
about the fact that it's an adult in a child's
(03:48):
life who has the greatest likelihood of being a perpetrator.
And then she really missed the mark as the board
president by focusing on an incident which involved a child parent.
And when you are a board president of a school district,
you have got to portray the correct message, especially in
a time of crisis, and she definitely missed the mark
(04:10):
in that regard.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
It came across as if she sort of said we
need to Actually she did say we need to train
students to recognize this soft abuse. Well, I mean, if
you ask my teenager if me making her clean up
her room when she doesn't want to is soft abuse,
I can guarantee she will raise her hand and say, yes,
I'm being abused because I have to clean my room.
It has created this US against them mentality, though I
(04:35):
feel it. I'm not even a jeff co parent, And
it's unfortunate because this should be the greatest partnership that
exists for parents, is the school district. Right when I
was a kid, we didn't have nearly the issues that
kids today have. But my parents were fully supportive of
the school system, and the school system was fully supportive
of my parents. It was a two way street and
(04:56):
we've just kind of lost the message on this when
you guys present about these sexual abuse cases. What was
the response from the board at that time.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Well, unfortunately, we did have a lot of media cover it.
We had multiple TV news, The Denver Gazette was their
front page, and after we presented it to the board,
their response to the media was basically a challenge, which.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
They did not give directly to us.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
They gave it through the media, a challenge to present
the documentation evidence. And my response to that is, you
gave us the documentation to your legal department and open
record system, and that was just a huge red flag
again that instead of asking us to partner with them
(05:45):
to express their shock and dismay to come quickly and
present the documentation, they instead give us a challenge to
use their own records and prove what we have outlined.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, I certainly hope you offered to do that for
a reasonable fee that I'm sure you paid yourself. It
would be easy for you to just say, oh, yeah,
it will cost you X amount of dollars and I
will make you a copy of everything that I've got
and that shows to me an unseriousness lindsay about the problem,
and I think that that flippancy is why national media
(06:18):
picked us up all over the country.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
It was crazy, absolutely, And we are a volunteer organization
and we have no expectation and no ask other than
we'd like to present this to you and really get
a solid solution and protocols in that ensure proper reporting,
that ensure we are avoiding predators in our district and
(06:41):
avoiding passing them around to other districts and other schools.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So what would you like to see on that last point?
How did you stop that? Is it a matter of
reporting to what agency?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, there is in the statue.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
It does require the superintendent or a designy to report
with intending when they believe there is professional incompetence or
unethical behavior, and certainly grooming would fall under those categories.
And so what we are asking is that there is
a much swister reporting action on their end.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
And that is just one piece of this, but it's
a big piece.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Would that have changed the case of the now young
woman who is living in California with her former teacher
who was helping her manage or navigate her sexuality? According
to the principle of Columbide High School. Would that have
changed anything in that case? If the mother had said, look,
(07:40):
I found these text messages.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
What would that have kicked in?
Speaker 1 (07:43):
If they had followed procedure or did they follow procedure
as it exists.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
That would have changed everything. That could have saved that student.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
And the parents who I've worked with for three years
have said repeatedly, if only they had made a mandatory report,
it would have put.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
An end to it, because instead they kept.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
The parents out of that situation, and a failure to
report failed a family and this student in the most
egregious way.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I want to direct your attention. I know you've seen it.
Lips of TikTok picked it up a passionate bit of
testimony from a man in Jefferson County who actually lost
custody of his kid because he would not affirm the
gender of his kid. I'm assuming you know that, gentleman.
And now it seems that there is what one counselor
who is facilitating this kind of parental intervention on more
(08:36):
than one occasion. What is that story?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yes, and I do know that parent and I always
verify before I take something on and was able to
read the court documents, and when he says that that
case is only about him not affirming his daughter, he
is not kidding. And because I was able to read
the documentation, I saw the name of the counselor and
(09:00):
immediately knew that we had already uncovered information on that
counselor that made a Fox News story lash in twenty
twenty three. And in that story, she taught the Open
Records show that she called it detrimental to out a
child to their parents and discussed in depth the parental deception.
(09:21):
And we have since changed those policies through our advocacy work.
But again, it changed the culture in jeff Co.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
And it allows for predatory behavior.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
It absolutely does. So what I think needs to happen
here and correct me if I'm wrong, lindsay, I think
we need new board members because everything gets directed from
the top. We've got to have a new superintendent. But
is it too entrenched in the rank and file teachers.
I don't know why teachers are so obsessed with gay
and trans issues now, I honestly don't. I mean, with
(09:53):
all of the things to be obsessed with, it is
amazing to me that they are so obsessed with these
issues to the point where they are willing to put
it out there as a political, you know, hurdle, and
yet it seems to be getting more entrenched. Do you
feel like jeff Co could turn the corner with different leadership?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Definitely could turn the corner. And what I hear is
that three of them are either not running or potentially
not supported by the union. And that's just a word
of mouth, but that definitely everything comes back to leadership everything,
and we definitely are hopeful to see something happens where
(10:33):
somebody stands up and just takes the leadership role that
is needed in Jefferson County.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And before you guys send me the email, why doesn't
she do it? Jeff Co Kids versus a five oh
one C three organization, which is explicitly forbids them from
being basically playing in the political sandbox. They are an
advocacy organization, so they will stay on the advocacy side.
And I got to tell you, Lindsay, I think it
(11:00):
would be great if you were on the school board,
but I think that what you guys are doing at
jeff Co Kids First is almost more important right now
than just getting on the school board. Because it is.
We're in an unfortunate period of time right now in
that as we're going through this journalism kind of contraction.
People used to work at a newspaper their sole job
(11:22):
was to cover school board stuff, right we don't have
that anymore. So it really is kind of up to
citizen journalists like you who have said this is not okay.
I'm going to get to the bottom of it. And
as much as I think you'd be amazing on the
school board, boy, am I glad you are where you
are right now. But I do hope that there are
other people, maybe even in your organization, who would consider
stepping up and running, and I will be more than
(11:44):
happy to have every single one of them on this show,
because I have seen jeff co change even more dramatically
than Doug Co since I've been here. In the last
thirteen years. It has been a They had a conservative board.
When I moved here, the conservative board got kicked out
by the unions and everything went batpoop crazy from that
point on. I'm not saying the Conservative board was perfect,
(12:05):
but holy maclarney, we've got to pull some semblance of
reality back to Jefferson County Public Schools and Lindsay you
and your team, Thank you so much for doing what
you do and continue to do it and let me
know if there's anything I can amplify for you.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Thank you, Mandy all right, Gebett, that's Lindsay.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Dad to Lindsay, thanks for making time for me today.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Absolutely anytime,
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