Colorado law promises teachers due process when their employment is challenged. In practice, that promise is breaking down, and the situation currently unfolding in Colorado Springs School District 11 makes that failure unmistakable.

Under C.R.S. § 22-63-302, a teacher who contests a dismissal is supposed to receive a prompt, neutral hearing. But the same statute cuts off pay and benefits after 100 days, even if the hearing has not yet occurred due to scheduling delays outside the teacher’s control. That is exactly what is now happening in District 11.

Dr. Angelica “Angel” Givler, a D11 teacher, has been informed that her neutral hearing is scheduled after the 100-day compensation window expires. As a result, she is facing the loss of pay and benefits before any hearing on the merits has taken place, while still being treated as an employee and subject to strict restrictions.

This is not about the merits of one personnel case. It is about a structural failure in the law. When hearings are delayed past the compensation cutoff, the statute turns financial pressure into a coercive tool, effectively punishing teachers before due process occurs and discouraging others from exercising their rights.

Our ask is clear:

• Ensure teacher dismissal hearings are scheduled and conducted within the timelines the law contemplates, or
• Reform C.R.S. § 22-63-302 so compensation cannot end before a neutral hearing occurs when delays are not attributable to the teacher.