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1 month ago | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
Dozens of families packed Boulder City Council chambers on May 1 in support of a homeschool program called Sage that had operated quietly for decades but recently shut down after being flagged for code violations. The city said it received two complaints in February from community members raising concerns about unsafe, unpermitted buildings and the operation of an unlicensed school. In response, the city visited the site and confirmed the violations.
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2 months ago | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
As the Trump administration executes its broad plan to reverse diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices across U.S. institutions, K–12 education has emerged as the next battleground. This shift comes after institutions like CU Boulder cut or renamed DEI departments out of fear of losing federal funds. Now, public schools — including those in Colorado — face similar threats.
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2 months ago | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
Did Yeva Smilianska get behind the wheel knowingly impaired, causing her to recklessly endanger lives on the road and kill 17-year-old up-and-coming cycling champion Magnus White? That was the central question a jury deliberated after a five-day trial at the Boulder County Justice Center last week. After about seven hours, the verdict came back: guilty. For the White family, however, the trial brought little solace.
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Mar 21, 2025 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
The message appeared on Snapchat last Wednesday: A student allegedly warned classmates not to come to school the following Monday, March 17. The vague but ominous threat spread quickly among Summit Middle School students, setting off a wave of anxiety among parents who, in the absence of clear information from officials, were left to piece together details on their own.
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Mar 17, 2025 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
Their claims have been denied. Their appeals have led to more frustration. And the process for holding staff accountable is often unclear. A growing group of BVSD parents says they’ve struggled to get meaningful responses after reporting what they believe to be bullying and discrimination against their children.
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Feb 26, 2025 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
Declining enrollment remains a long-term challenge for the Boulder Valley School District, but this year’s numbers were better than expected — by nearly 1%, or just under 250 students. A larger-than-projected kindergarten cohort helped cushion the decline and has improved enrollment forecasts. Since enrollment directly impacts state funding, the new projections have given district leaders cautious optimism.
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Feb 3, 2025 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
As fear and uncertainty spread through the immigrant community, more than 300 undocumented students at the University of Colorado Boulder are feeling more vulnerable than ever. A longstanding federal policy restricting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in sensitive spaces — schools, churches and hospitals — was rescinded by an executive order from President Trump.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
A proposed new charter school emphasizing inclusivity for neurodiverse and special education students is under review by the Boulder Valley Board of Education. Grove Elementary would be an offshoot of Bal Swan, a private preschool in Broomfield, with its educational philosophy extending to the new publicly funded charter school. The Boulder Valley School District has five charter schools, four approved between 1996 and 1999, and the most recent in 2002.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
New Vista students walked into their brand-new school for the first time on Jan. 7, greeted with a red carpet welcome at the corner of Baseline and Broadway. The building, which has big views of the Flatirons to the west and CU Boulder to the east, is the first purpose-built home for New Vista since its founding. New Vista is a small, alternative high school that has been relocated multiple times since it launched in 1993 by founding principal Rona Wilensk, who ran it for nearly 17 years.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman
Schools are not immune to the effects of heated political rhetoric, and the Boulder Valley School District is preparing to act. During a recent board meeting, members discussed plans to reassure undocumented students and other vulnerable groups facing potential threats from shifting national policies. After an election cycle dominated by immigration and LGBTQ+ rights, some BVSD students and families have expressed growing fears about an impending shakeup as the Trump administration takes power.
