12-year-old student invited to after-school art club finds herself in a meeting about trans and queer identity where she is told to keep secrets and that parents aren't safe

On May 4th, 2021, Erin Lee’s 12-year-old daughter was invited by her art teacher, Jenna Riep, at Wellington Middle School in the Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colorado, to come to art club after school. The family was new to the school district during COVID and her daughter loves art— an invitation to art club seemed like a perfect opportunity to meet fellow students with similar interests and maybe make some friends. Mom and dad enthusiastically gave permission for their 6th grader to attend.

Unbeknownst to both of them, the club was actually a GSA or Gay Straight Awareness/Alliance Club run by the art teacher. On this particular day, a guest speaker was brought in. Her name is Kimberly Chambers and she is the director of SPLASH Youth of Northern Colorado. The arm of the SPLASH organization that targets children between the ages of 5-11 is called SKITTLES (in some places it now says they start at age 7 but it is well documented that they have long targeted children starting at age 5. Photos provided below.) Chambers is a paid employee of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment and has access to children’s information. She is also a substitute teacher.

Notice that in the email communications below, obtained through a public records request, Chambers asserts that under the “Equal Access Act,” “parents don’t have to approve what clubs and activities their children participate in.” This claim about the Equal Access Act is false and reveals a complete misunderstanding or intentional distortion of the law. To read the law she cites— 20 U.S. Code § 4071law—click here.

It is clarifying to see a guest speaker for middle schoolers confidently make the erroneous legal claim to school district officials that parents have no right to know what clubs and activities their children participate in.

Erin Lee tells the whole story below:

Kimberly Chambers told her daughter that if she’s “not 100% comfortable in her female body, she’s transgender.” In the moment, her daughter adopted that label and was immediately given a trans flag, stickers and bracelets as well as a queer flag, stickers and bracelets.
Kimberly Chambers told the students that parents aren’t safe but that she is safe and gave the students her personal contact information and also encouraged them to contact her on the social media platforms Discord and What’s App. She also told them that it’s ok to lie to your parents to attend this club.
They did the “Genderbread person activity” which explicitly asked her daughter and the other students in the room who they are sexually attracted to. (The gender unicorn is part of the 5th grade curriculum in the Poudre School District.)
The school district confirmed that they are providing safe spaces, in secret, for children.
The mother called the police but the police said that because it occurred in a classroom and there was no accusation of physical touch or exposure of body parts, they couldn’t do anything.

Email communications immediately following the incident

Here is Kimberly Chambers speaking about the incident at a school board meeting:

Here is Kimberly Chambers speaking to the school board.

This is board member Kristen Draper who Kimberly Chambers names in an email as a “strong ally” who volunteers with SPLASH.

SPLASH LGTQIA+ Youth

Below are screenshots captured from SPLASH’s social media feed and website. Some have since been password protected or deleted or links no longer work: