A Denver middle school teacher has been fired after it was revealed that she allegedly pressured students to kiss their classmates.
The story centers on a former teacher named Jennifer Honka, who allegedly pressured students to kiss each other as part of a graded assignment. Students who chose not to participate were given lower grades.
From CBS News:
Denver Public Schools board members voted unanimously May 20 to dismiss a 50-year-old foreign language teacher following a district investigation and an independent review into student complaints about a class assignment.
The board voted 7-0 after meeting in executive session to consider the firing of Jennifer Honka. Honka taught French Language and Culture at Northeast Early College for all of her eight years with the district. Officially, Honka was fired for incompetence and neglect of duty. There was no public debate among the board members prior to the vote.
Honka's classroom instruction first came into question during the 2023-24 school year. She had received the highest possible rating in district assessments the prior three years. But then students approached other teachers and complained about skits in Honka's class in which they were asked to kiss one another.
According to the independent review, issued on April 30th, a copy of which was obtained by CBS Colorado, those students were always the same sex.
🚨 DENVER TEACHER FIRED 🚨
— Steven Sylvester (@StevenS11698) June 16, 2026
Denver schools voted unanimously to fire French teacher Jennifer Honka after students reported graded skits involving kissing scenes and an administrative judge found incompetence and neglect of duty.#globalpatriotnewshq pic.twitter.com/NPfJ3nGG1B
One of the students said they were “very uncomfortable and did not know what to do,” according to the report, which further explained that she “went ahead and kissed another student at (Honka’s) direction.”
In most instances, Honka had students kiss other students of the same sex and even shared about her LGBTQ identity and activism with her class. This prompted one of the students to share a meme online including a picture of the teacher with the caption “she makes girls kiss.”
Another student who was interviewed in the independent review indicated the former teacher favored female students and rarely chose boy actors to act in the skits. Another student did not participate in the skits and was given a zero score for the assignment.
An English teacher told investigators that several students approached her about Honka. One student who “appeared upset and defeated” said the teacher pressured her to kiss three other girls.
The skits were titled “The Neighbors Saw Everything” and “The Boring Kiss,” which includes three moments when characters are supposed to kiss each other.
In a particularly creepy statement, one student said Honka had posted a rule for the class: “The answer is always ‘yes’” that Honka frequently referred to.
The principal reported the matter to the police department, but there is no indication that Honka is facing charges yet.
🚨 A DENVER TEACHER WAS JUST UNANIMOUSLY FIRED FOR MAKING FEMALE STUDENTS KISS EACH OTHER — AND GRADING THEM ON IT.
— Sassy Latina (@Virgini58967394) June 17, 2026
Denver Public Schools Board voted unanimously to dismiss teacher Jennifer Honka after she reportedly forced female students to kiss each other and assigned grades… pic.twitter.com/0jNqo3OFmu
Honka defended herself, claiming she didn’t force the students to kiss. She said she gave them other options such as blowing a kiss or “fist bumps” if they were not comfortable with kissing. One of the students acknowledged that Honka “would allow students to pretend to kiss,” CBS News reported.
Fortunately, this type of behavior among teacher is rare. But another educator named Rasheda Rose in Las Vegas faced two felony child abuse charges in 2024 after she encouraged to sixth-grade students to kiss each other in front of their classmates during a game of “Never Have I Ever.”