Colorado School Refuses to Allow Student to Read Her Pro-Life Poem in Class

A 13-year-old seventh-grader at Drake Middle School in Colorado’s Jefferson County Public Schools was barred from reading her pro-life slam poem aloud in class along with other students.

She was prevented  even though staff acknowledged it met all assignment requirements, according to the student’s family.

The assignment asked students to write and present slam poetry about a world conflict they felt passionate about. The girl chose the topic of abortion and prepared a poem that referenced biblical verses, Dr. Seuss literature and statistics on abortions since Roe v. Wade.

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School staff told the family the poem satisfied every rubric criterion but could not be read aloud because it was “offensive,” “politically charged” and might make other students feel “unsafe,” the family said.

Other poems on topics such as criticizing the Second Amendment, mocking Jesus and supporting LGBTQ rights were permitted in the class presentations, according to the account shared by the student and her mother in an interview with the social media account Libs of TikTok.

The teacher initially tried to remove the seventh-grader from class during the poetry presentations but allowed her to stay after other students pushed back, the family reported.

Being pro-life is personal for the family.

The girl’s mother told the interviewer that her own mother became pregnant at age 14 and chose life, leading to a thriving family today.

“There’s hope in hard situations. There’s purpose in pain. Good things come out of situations that seem bleak. My family is proof of that,” the mother said.

Jefferson County Schools and Drake Middle School did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The incident drew widespread attention after the family’s interview went viral on social media Wednesday, with many users criticizing the school for what they described as viewpoint discrimination against pro-life expression while permitting other controversial topics.

The family said the student later read her poem during the interview so it could be shared publicly.