This is Dan Kaplis, and welcome to today's online podcast edition of The Dan Kaplis Show. Please be sure to give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind, and to subscribe, download, and listen to the show every single day on your favorite podcast platform. Well, you're going to be glad you're here for this one.
We're going to start with somebody who is fighting for the American way in all of the best senses, and that is a woman named Heather McCormick.
And she's going to tell you a story. Even if you've.
Heard it, you haven't heard it from her. She's going to tell you a story that will infuriate you and you will want to demand action right now. And that's good and that's why we've asked Heather to come on, because every good Colorado across all lines should want action taken on this. And then we're going to be reporting on a very big story today. Mike Johnston, mayor of Genver, now spending two million dollars of Denver taxpayer money on a big fancy DC law firm for what purpose, Well,
pretty clearly protect Mike Johnston. So we'll get to that in a bit, but let's come out of the gate with a woman named Heather McCormick. And Heather McCormick has spoken out publicly at this point too. Shan Boyd in a CBS four story about a situation at Columbine High School. You won't even believe. And if you're already familiar with
the story, Heather, we'll add some more detail. Heather is friends of the family involved, friends of the parents who have had to endure something that has to be a nightmare, absolutely heartbreaking for them. And I'll turn it over to Heather now. Heather, thanks for joining me. Sure, appreciate it.
Thanks happy to be here.
Thank you.
Well, if you would please just tell people this story, your understanding of it, and then obviously you've been in touch with the family and that's where you get your perspective, but please just take the floor and bring people up to speed.
Well, I guess we have to start all the way back in the school year twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, when this student was in Partney's ap was for ap Street class.
Heather, may I interrupt for a second. Don't mean to be rude, but we have a bad connection. Does the cell sound okay on your end?
It does have a pay on my end.
Oh yeah, yeah. So what's going to happen now, Heather is our amazing crew of engineering wizards are going to try to modulate some stuff behind the glass and hopefully we can get the sound quality better. So why don't we pick it up from your point that twenty eighteen twenty nineteen school year.
What happens then?
Okay, we're making those adjustments, and trust me, you're really yeah, you're really going to want to hear from Heather on this because Heather's going to tell you a story about what happened to Columbine that I couldn't even believe when I first heard it. Heather, let's pick it up with the twenty eighteen twenty nineteen school year.
Okay, hopefully you can hear me out.
My lord, it sounds like you're in the same room.
Okay, great, during that school year, this is the school year that the student was in Carney's history class, and so that's where they first met. That was twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen school year. And the teacher also at that time discussed with the speech pathologist Ashley Thomas at the school, just inquiring about how a student can be declared homeless to contact. So that's kind of where it all started out.
If you fast forward a little bit to the twenty and twenty one year, that's when the parents later found out as they're going back and investigating and trying to figure out what all happened, that there were over two twenty thousand text messages exchanged between this teacher and their child, and like over forty hours of talking on the phone. So there was clearly more in this relationship than should
have been between teacher and student. And so anyways, if we go to April twenty twenty two, this is her senior year and kind of where everything sort of spirals out of control for the family when they start finding out all of the things that have been going on behind their backs. So Ashley Thomas has reported some of this information, filling in some of these gaps that she was asked to take in this student. She had previously
taken in a homeless student. Well, when they met with Christy and he said this the Scott Christy, the principal, I call it my high school, and he said that she had taken in homeless. You speak before, of course the parents' first responses, but my kid isn't homeless, so
why would this be even on the radar. And so at this point they didn't realize that what had been happening is that their daughter had talked to her counselor expressed as most teenagers do their you know, their frustrations with their home life, and instead of talking to this student working through it, and or if they felt there was a real concern reporting it the way they are mandatory reporters that have reported it to Child Protective Services,
instead they pursued this homeless status for this student so that she could move out and in with a teacher.
Lord, let me ask you about a couple of names for those not familiar with the story. You mentioned a Kerney in the beginning. Is that Leanne Michelle Kearney a teacher?
Yep, she was a teacher? Uh huh?
And Ashley Thomas then, how again does she fit into it?
So, Ashley Thomas was the elogist at Columbine at that time, and she had spoken with Karney. Well, Karney had spoken to her about this because she had previously taken in a child who was actually homeless, and so then when they brought her back into the fold, she kind of assumed that because the principal had known what was going on, and the counselor had known what was going on, that this was something that you know, they were in communication
with the parents about. So she went through the motions. Now, Ashley Thomas is a speech pathologist, and this student was a great student. She had a four point six gpa, she was top ten percent of her class, She was state swim, she was on the state so she was a great student there. She wasn't there was no reason for her to have any contact with the speech pathologist at the school.
Right.
And when you say that she had taken in a homeless student before, do you mean the teacher Kearnie or Ashley Thomas.
Ashley Thomas had taken him before. That's why Kearnie had talked to her about what that looked like, how to declare her homeless and who took contact to do that?
Okay?
And then is the belief at this point that Kearnie had been having some type of intimate relationship with the student.
Yes, now, in hindsight, with all the information they have and the text messages and that you know, the hours of talking and things they if now and currently she is they have moved out of state and continued a relationship post graduation.
So so this student now lives with Kearnie, the former teacher she did.
I can't say first certain right now they live in the same state, but I they were after they left here, they moved to California. So the the family has a younger, a sibling, So this student had a brother at school with her at the same time that all this was going on, and so after she graduated, he had heard that his sister had moved to this small town in California and son then they pieced that together that she too right.
And obviously Kearnie at this point has not been charged with any crime, presumed innnicent of any crime, et cetera. But what really concerns me just as a citizen of the community and as a parent, because I think about the parents, the heartbreak they must be suffering. And if you can stay for another segment, Heather, I'd like you to talk about some of what the parents have been through that the whole situation just cries out for more,
more investigation, more action. I'd like to talk to you about has anything been done, any consequences for any of the folks, at Columbine.
I'm a huge fan of Columbine, but I.
Know even great institutions sometimes fail horribly. And you know, is there an ongoing investigation of Columbine. So can you stay with us for another segment? Absolutely great, Well, we'll be back with Heather McCormick. And the more you know about this story, I think the more you're going to want answers for the good of everybody in the community.
You're on the Dan Caplas Show and now back to the Dan Kaplass Show podcast. Oh wow, Ryan, maybe your best ever.
We're talking to about a story at a Columbine that should concern everybody in the state. We're fortunate to have Heather McCormick with us. She's a friend of the family involved and a friend of the parents whose daughter and we've heard the Sean Boyd CBS story. We've heard what Heather just said. Heather will continue in a second. But their daughter four, well close to a four point zero student, I believe, a successful athlete. Their daughter a student at
Columbine back in twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen. And then according to what Heather's telling us in the Sean Boyd's story, and it sounds as if there were over twenty thousand texts between this teacher and the student, and then the student ends up after graduation moving with the teacher.
Out of state.
And in the middle of all this, if I understand it correctly, Heather, in the middle of all this, it is discovered that there were a number of people in authority at Columbine working together to have this student declared homeless, even though she has a home, she has a mother and a father and a brother in the school, she has a home, she's doing well in school, she's doing well as an athlete, and they're working together behind the parents' back.
It sounds like to have her declared homeless. Is that what occurred here?
Yeah?
And I think that, like this part is so it's so crazy to me that it made it through so many levels of people without anybody reporting anything, either to child protective protective services or contacting the family to make sure that they were doing the right thing for this student. So yeah, the counselor that the student had at the time was working together with the family liaison from the
district her hownless. And the craziest part is that not only were they doing this, but they specifically mentioned, don't contact her on the phone number that's a INFINET campus because that's the parent's phone number.
Don't use the.
Address of her home, use the school address or the district address, So very specifically leaving the parents out as they did this, and clearly on purpose, so as my friend had said, like they would have preferred that they called child chective services on them, so that they would have shown up at the door and figured out that this was not correct and we could have avoided this
whole thing. So the fact that they didn't, and also there was another student at that school and at other schools in jeff Coo that lived in this home that they never checked in on. If it was a big enough of concern to declare her homeless, maybe they should have checked on the other kids in the home well.
And if it's a big enough concern to declare homeless, don't you have to call child protective services. I don't practice criminal law, so I don't mean this as a comment on the law. But aren't there mandatory reporting requirements if you believe a child's in danger, which from everything I've heard it's the opposite that the child had a very stable, supportive family, and hey, anybody who's ever had kids, anybody who's ever had teenagers, there's occasionally going to be
a bump in the road. But it's not for the school to declare them homeless hide it from the parents. And isn't part of this story that the mom eventually found some evidence that the teacher and the child had been kissing.
Yeah, well, first with the homeless the homeless paperwork, actually, the mom also discovered so she had set up an appointment with Scott Christie, the principal at the school, to discuss sort of this. She had sent the teacher, mss Carney a text message saying, please don't contact my student any further. I never heard back from the teacher, never
heard back from anybody. So they went and talked to the principal and the principal said that he was aware of the text message that should have been a red flag for him, and that you know, this teacher, you know, has worked with other homeless students before. And the mom was like, well, my kid's not homeless. And so the very next day the mom found the homeless paperwork underneath her daughter's bed in her house, and otherwise she would
have never known that this was even filed. Oh my lord, So she did find also, in reference to what you were talking about, she did find some evidence of that. So this student was hired on at the gym that this teacher works out at. And she said that when the mom found evidence of her saying that they had kids, she said that it was a journal tree and it was a dream. She was writing about a dream. She just kind of wrote it off as as that the student did.
But yeah, and the twenty thousand texts between the teacher and the student, how does the school explain that?
How does the school justify any of this?
Honestly, they don't. Scott Christy honestly, during their meeting with him several times just said that's a good question.
Oh my lord. Wow.
And was there some comments somewhere about referring to the teacher, Oh, she's helped students navigate their sexuality before something like that.
Yes, Scott Christy did say that about.
The teacher, that she has helped other students navigate their sexuality.
Yeah, that she takes interest in helping students navigate their sexuality.
Wow, we're going to try to get mister Christy on. I think Ryan has already invited him because we sure want to hear his side of this, because anybody listening to this story and listening to the great work Sewan Boyd did in that piece, and I've read the police report has to be horrified, and I'd really like to know how the school can possibly justify any of this. And have there been investigations, Have there been investigations by
a professional society, investigations by law enforcement? I mean, obviously I've seen the police report, I know what they did with regard to the teacher, But what about the people at Columbine. And I'm not saying anybody committed a crime. I don't know the bottom line answer, but there's a hell of a question. Has anybody investigated that question?
Well, definitely, I mean, I would imagine that fraudulent filing of homework homeless paperwork for the purpose of filling out fast that paperwork would be illegal and not reporting and not you know, as a mandatory reporter, if you don't, if you fail to report according to the state, yes, there are you know, consequences for that. So but no, the district did sort of an internal investigation, but they didn't they didn't pursue anything. So Carney.
The teacher.
Quit when she got back, she's she was deployed until so the student graduated in May, and this teacher was deployed until about October in the fall, and when she went, you know, when she was coming back, she just chose not to come back to Jeffco. So she wasn't fired, she wasn't asked to leave. And then once she was gone, the districts kind of just wiped their hands of it.
Well, what I'd love to do, Heather, because this story, this story has to stay alive, it has to continue. We have to get to a bottom line on this. If it be comes just the accepted norm that if the school did everything that it sounds like they did, they can just get away with that, then that's crazy for society, it's crazy for these kids.
So why don't we do this?
Can we get you back on air sometime in the next few days, talk about consequences, what the parents would like to see. And in the meantime, what I'd like to do is like to try again to get mister Christy on the show. We'll reach out to Ashley Thomas, We'll dig into the law enforcement side of it as well. So thank you Heather for being with us today and
we'll look forward to visiting with you again soon. Sure, thanks so much, and thank you for shedding light on this because this is so important for I think the parents and for every parent out there and every kid out there.
So Heather, thank you.
When we come back, big breaking news about Mayor Mike Johnston in Denver, You're on the Dan Kapla Show.
And now back to the Dan Kaplis Show podcast.
What you just heard Heather McCormick on our show courageously speaking out Sean Boyd's tremendous piece on this these allegations about Columbine, that you had a top administrator and others working together to have a student declared homeless who had a very solid, stable home with great parents, and this student getting over twenty thousand text exchanges with a female teacher who she then moves in with after she graduates, and everybody no disciplinary action we know of.
Everybody's still sitting there with their jobs. What's going on here?
Well, George Brockler, the DA first DA in the twenty third, kind enough to join us, and George, I know you've spoken publicly through social media a little bit about this, So appreciate your take as a DA, as a parent, as.
A guy who who knows the world, But what's your take on all this?
I shocking?
I mean, this is shocking, shocking stuff. Not as shocking that a teacher would try to groom a child, unfortunately, you and I have seen that a bunch over the years, and that's offensive. But the role that administrators seem to have played in trying to facilitate it, and the steps that were taken. I mean, Sean Boyd's piece is explosive, and Dan, two things are going on simultaneously, and it's
just like you. I mean, you've been in this game so long that when people start telling you things, your brain is broken to start analyzing them from.
What are the lead?
You know, what's the liability, what's the duty, what's the you know what I mean, you.
Just start doing it.
When I watched the story from Sean Boyd and she does such an incredible job, I'm like, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Maybe there's nothing here, but instantly I want to know what federal forms were filled out and were they forged? Was their misinformation placed on them?
You know, there's a kidnapping charge that.
Exist for kids under the age of eighteen when they are taken to different places without the consent of their parents. And there's some other words in there, but this feels to me like something that at least ought to be looked at. And if there's a crime there, all the steps these other administrators take, arguably don't know that, it's for sure, are conspiratorial. They're part of this whole thing, whether they're accomplices or conspirators or both. It just feels
like there's something that needs to be done there. So you know, again, Alexis King is a veteran prosecutor out there. She has some great prosecutors that work for her that's out in the first judicial district. It just seems to me this is one of those things where someone wants to ask, Hey, did you guys look into this right? Did anybody bring you a filing? Did the sheriff's office, who has combine, did they bring you a filing or what?
And what about a grand I don't know, Jurie, can you speak to that, George. I know they're not that common, but it seems like if anything's going to be important enough to justify grand jury, it's going to be.
The safety of children in Jeff COO's schools. And when you have.
Something like this, it's very much about this individual student, but it's about all students. It's about what the standard is, what's going to be accepted as the new norm. And if this is the new norm, then I think people want to run fleeing, right. And I know there are a lot of great things going on in Jeffco's schools. But if this is acceptable, then people need to think twice.
The grand jury and any jurisdiction that has an excess of three hundred thousand people and it has a standing grand jury, and I know Jeff co does.
When we were in the eighteenth we.
Used to have two.
That grand jury exists for things where they're superpowers, and the grand jury has superpowers, most of them subpoena powers, whether it's for documents or testimony or both, where you need that to get to some information in the truth. And this is the kind of case where that could happen. You can compel testimony. There is certain immunities that a prosecutor can extend to certain witnesses who are like, hey, I don't want to talk about this because I think
it exposes me to criminal liability. And you can say that's okay, I'm not looking at you for that, or I'm not going to use this against you.
I want to get information on the other person.
This case, superficially to me, seems like it's built for something like that, especially if the goal is to try to determine if this is widespread, like is this a common practice or was this specific just to this individual kid?
Yeah, boy, George Brockler, our guest.
And the one thing seems absolutely clear there is no excuse, no rationale whatsoever for not doing a full investigation, getting to the absolute bottom of this, putting it out there for the public to see, because at this point people need that information to make safety decisions for their own students.
Oh my gosh, Dan, one hundred percent. I mean I grew up in Jeffco.
Columbine was the next school down from where I graduated. I graduated from Bear Creek. I can tell you if this had happened at my school or call, my parents would have framed. But you know, Jeffco has changed hands here in terms of partisanship and politics, and I just simply can't believe that there can't be appropriate pressure brought on the school board to say you need to do something here, and if you've done something and you came to an answer, you've got to give that answer to
the public. This isn't one of those well we looked into it.
Nothing to see here, that's not this moment.
Well, and what we appear to know, George and I may be wrong on some of this, but we appear to know that mister is it Christy Is that his name right in the middle of it, if I understand the story correctly, is still in his position. My understanding is nobody's lost their job over it. The teacher voluntarily left after a deployment. How could that be? So it
seems to me that's the big issue right now. My heart breaks for the parents and everything they suffered through, But right now the issue is what is the standard in Jeffco.
Is this the acceptable stand Jeffco?
Because it's either yes or no to that, right because if these people all still have their jobs and there have been no major negative consequences, that's just the jeff Goo School District saying, hey, every other teacher, every other administrator, you can do this. This is acceptable, and if it's acceptable, they won't have five students left in their schools.
Cool, you've hit the nail on the head, Dan. The only two options here are either this was legal and we need to now have a serious conversation about changing the law or people moving on from that school district. Or it was illegal and if it was illegal, there has to be consequences. Yeah, this isn't a one off shrug it off and be like, oh, well, you know they're happy together now in southern California. That's just not how this can play out. It's crazy.
Sorry.
I didn't mean to interrupt you there, George. But let me ask you about this text, Dan, what if this had been a male teacher and a female student out that things would be handled differently. What's your immediate reaction to that?
Not in the twenty third I can tell you that, right, Oh yeah, no, But I can tell you there is a bias out there and it still persists, and it even persists around some prosecutors too, And that is this notion that somehow the standard is different one when it's a female teacher. But I worry about the fact that this has become one of these politically sensitive issues because of the lesbian issue. Yeah, like Oh, well, you know it's the sexuality.
Who cares.
You're talking about an innocent sixteen year old student and a teacher. Any teacher that exploits their position for sexual gratification or even romantic gratification, ought to be done in That's it over.
Which goes to another text, And this comes from Abe, who has always texts crazy stuff.
This is the first one that's ever made any sense to me.
It says Dan, I smell a bunch of liberal school employees, excuse me, enabling an adolescent lesbian relationship.
That's abe suspicion. Do you share that?
Yeah, but that text actually is right in line with what you were just asking about in this way. Can you imagine the same administrators facilitating this kind of thing. If it was a male teacher, we'd all be like, oh my god, are you crazy? But when it's a woman teacher, and then a woman teacher and a woman's student, people are like, well, you know, she's helping her explore
her sexuality. I read that somewhere and I thought, if I ever hear of a teacher trying to help my kids explore their sexuality, there's going to be a trial.
But it's going to be mine well, and this I'm sure this story should horrify people across all party lines in Colorado.
But got to speak the truth as I see it.
And in so many different situations, I see the left putting their politics, their ideology, their agenda ahead of the interest of children in ways large and small. And that's my spider sense as to what's going on here.
I think you're right.
I think, depending upon how far back this goes, the statue limitations has not expired, not even close, and I mean even for the administrators, And so without indicting them here on the radio, because I don't know and they're presumed in us, we need to know wherever the truth takes us.
We need to know.
We got to know. But the investigation can happen and people can be brought to account, and that's the purpose of this. If this is the way it seems to you, to me, to the listeners, then it seems to me this is the case where you go so over the top hardcore and accountability, so that anyone that ever dreamed of doing this would say not worth it.
Amen, and every parent, every child in the Jeffco School District deserves an answer to this. I wish this was in the twenty third it's not, but we'll try to get the DA Alexis King on and have her comment on this as well. But George really appreciate your expertise and look forward to the next one.
Yeah, we'll talk to you soon.
Thank you, my friend. That is George Bronckler. What a tremendous resource. Eight five five four zero five eight two five five the number text d an five seven seven three nine your thoughts on this and I think a very very important story about Mayor Mike Johnston. Have it for you after the break you're on the Dan Kaplas show. Enormously important story. This one brand new. When Ryan sent it to me today, I couldn't believe it. I thought
it was April Fole's Day or something. But I can't wait to get into it with you and what it means in my opinion, which is a lot not my opinion. Who cares about that, right? I hope you care about my logic and facts and reasoning. But the point is, I think this story tells us a lot about the kind of trouble that Mayor Mike Johnston thinks he's in. Listen to that, Denver seven package.
Please have it.
The City of Denver is bracing for a fight in Washington, and to prepare the mayor, City Council approved a two million dollar contract with an elite law firm, Covington and Burling, LLP. Says they will perform services for the city at a discounted rate of one thousand dollars per hour, including preparation in advance of the hearing and initial work related to
document and review. March fifth, Mayor Mike Johnston is being asked to go to DC to defend Denver's immigration policies by the US House Committee on Government Reform city policies that were adopted back in twenty sixteen under then Mayor Michael Hancock. Council members approved the funding in a block vote along with other bills last night. The only council member to comment with Sarah Parity. She spoke about the possible need to expand support of the Denver Immigrant Legal Services.
Fund really for reasons that are at their heart similar to why we're approving this legal bill for this DC law firm today, which is that we're going to continue to defend our entirely legal local policies, not to do the dirty work of deportation for the federal government, and not to ignore the overarching international human rights law that says that when people are fleeing really of businal circumstances, they have a right to claim asylum.
Part of the contract between the law firm and the city states quote the parties mutually agree that investigative activity is likely to continue following this hearing, and that city Council may be asked to approve war funding beyond the two million dollars already approved. So we have questions today for the Mayor and City Attorney about the necessity for such an expenditure at taxpayer expense for hearing that is,
by all accounts optional. In a statement, the city attorney's office said, quote, this legal council allows the City of Denver's leadership to focus on delivering the high quality services residents expect and deserve while navigating complex legal matters, including federal government actions.
Context here.
Denver has never officially called itself a sanctuary city. It was given that title during Trump's first administration in twenty seventeen. His administration asked for so called sanctuary cities like Denver to help ices crack down on immigration. In response, than Mayor Michael Hancock signed and executive order directing city agencies to help immigrants living in the country illegally and to
set up a legal defense fund. In the order, Hancock called Denver a safe and welcoming city, but never used the word sanctuary enough.
For that nonsense. First of all, sanctuary city for Denver. That term but began long, long, long before anybody ever thought of Donald Trump running for president. So that part of the story is just completely inaccurate. And it's so interesting to me because great story, the first part, but then apparently launching into this defense.
Of the mayor. Let me give you my take on this.
Okay, this is my opinion as a guy who's practiced law for forty years.
Take it or leave it.
I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I obviously believe it's correct.
Two million dollars right, and this is they made it.
Clear this is a first installment, right, because that statement you heard, Red, Hey, this investigation may continue, et cetera.
Two million dollars at a.
Discounted rate of one thousand dollars an hour. Well, by my math, Ryan, that's two thousand hours, right, Yep. Two thousand, thousand equals two millions, so two thousand hours. So is somebody trying to suggest to you that it's going to take two thousand hours of Washington DC attorney time to protect Mayor Johnston, to prepare and protect Mayor Johnston at
this hearing? Well do the math right? My constitutionally protected opinion is this has something to do with the hearing, but mostly this has to do with Mike Johnston and others in power and den are trying to protect themselves from criminal prosecution. I'm not telling you that Mike Johnston
has committed any crime. I don't know if he has or not, but this tells me he's worried about whether he has that he now at this time, Ryan, have you called nine to one one in Denver lately and the people working there do a great job, but you can call now and get a recorded message sometimes because the city has so little money, and Mike Johnson's going to spend, for starters two million of taxpayer money on lawyers to advise Mike Johnston, and not just any lawyers.
According to this Denver Right piece I'm reading, Mike Johnston has decided to hire Dana Remis. I think it's pronounced ori em us. Previously, the story says the White House counsel for President Joe Biden, So.
Diamond Mike, right, I nicknamed him that a long time ago. When it comes to your money, Hey, Diamond.
Mike's a big spender. So he's not going to some great Denver law firm. And you have a lot of great Denver law firms who do that kind of work. I do catastrophic injury. There are others who do that
kind of work, you know, criminal and government, et cetera. No, he's going straight to Joe Biden's former White House Council because when Diamond Mike's in trouble, hey, money's no object, right, as long as it's your money eight five five for zero five eight two five five texts d An five seven seven three nine.
That's my take on it, Ryan.
He is concerned that he may have violated the law, and he may be continuing to violate the law.
I think is his concern.
I think city council members, other in others in charge there are worried about the same thing, and I think they're worried about potential prosecution.
Yep.
I think you nailed it and these were sanctuary cities until they weren't.
Democrats were once very proud of that term.
Dan shouted it from the mountaintops.
And it's still a sanctuary state thanks to Jared Polus and the rest of these left he So, I want to come down and get your reaction to this story. Break it down in more detailed text. Does d An seven three nine thousand bucks an hour? You're on the Dan Kapla Show.