A Colorado teacher allegedly groomed a teen for years, with school officials aiding under secrecy policies. Photo courtesy the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

ICYMI: Colorado Mom Claims ‘WOKE’ School Officials Helped Teacher GROOM Her Daughter!

A Colorado teacher allegedly groomed a teen for years, with school officials aiding under secrecy policies. 🌐 #News #LittletonCO #Colorado #Crime

LITTLETON, CO – A disturbing case has unfolded at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado, where a mother claims her teenage daughter fell prey to a predatory teacher. The educator, 37-year-old Leann Kearney, allegedly spent years building a secret bond with the girl, pulling her away from her family while school leaders turned a blind eye. This gripping saga ended with the teacher whisking the teen off to Oregon the moment she turned 18, leaving the devastated mother searching for answers.

Years of Manipulation Unraveled

The trouble began in 2018 when the girl, then 15 and a sophomore, entered Kearney’s social studies class.

Investigations by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the school district later uncovered a staggering 24,000 text messages and hours of phone calls between the two.

Secret meetings took place, and a note penned by the teen revealed they even kissed while she was still underage.

Kearney deepened her hold by giving the girl a job at her Planet Fitness gym and lending her a pickup truck.

The mother, who requested anonymity for herself and her daughter, noticed the unusual closeness but felt powerless as the teacher’s influence grew.

Kearney allegedly went so far as to push the teen to file a false “homeless youth” application, a move that would legally free her from her parents’ oversight. Records show Kearney began asking coworkers about this process when the girl was just 15.

School Leaders Caught in the Web

Kearney didn’t act alone. She enlisted the school’s principal, a guidance counselor, and another teacher, convincing them the teen needed protection from an abusive home. 

These staff members backed the plan without ever verifying the claims or reaching out to the girl’s parents—or even her younger brother, who attended the same school. Internal emails later showed the counselor explicitly told district officials to keep the parents in the dark.

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The mother confronted Kearney directly, demanding she stop contacting her daughter, then 17. Kearney ignored the plea and continued reaching out.

When the desperate mom took her concerns to Principal Scott Christy, he brushed them off, saying the teacher was simply guiding students through their sexual identities. Only later did Christy admit that proper steps weren’t followed in handling the girl’s application.

Policies That Hid the Truth

Advocacy group JeffCo Kids First pointed to Colorado’s transgender equality policies as a key factor in this mess. Lindsay Datko from the group explained that the rules, in place until a two-year fight changed them, encouraged schools to exclude parents from certain decisions if students asked for privacy. This fostered a secretive environment that Kearney exploited, isolating the teen further from her family.

On February 14, 2025, Christy issued a public apology to families and staff, admitting the school failed to spot Kearney’s deception. He revealed that the teacher had misled administrators into aiding her scheme. The school has since revamped its child safety policies and promised staff training to prevent future lapses.

A Bold Escape and Lingering Pain

Kearney resigned before she could be fired and lost her teaching license in December 2024 after the state confirmed her grooming behavior. By then, she had already fled to Oregon with the girl, now 18 but still decades younger than her former teacher. No criminal charges have been filed, despite the years-long manipulation uncovered by investigators.

The mother remains heartbroken, calling the ordeal a calculated plot. She said a sheriff’s investigator warned her that her daughter might not see the harm until she recognizes the relationship’s toxic nature. 

For now, a family grieves, and a community wrestles with the fallout of a system that let a predator slip through the cracks.

RELATED TOPICS: Colorado | Crime | Oregon

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2 Comments

  1. Seeing as I was friends with this family for s majority of my childhood, I feel like I have to speak out that this family was incredibly abusive to their daughter. She came out early in high school and her parents tried to send her to a conversion camp and kicked her out of the house. Does that excuse what Ms. Kearney did? Absolutely not. She deserved to be fired for what she did. And my friend’s family is not innocent in any of this either. They were horrible to her and have tried to milk this story for almost two years now trying to get right-wing media to pick it up and fit a narrative they already want about schools. My friend tried to be declared homeless because her parents were refusing to help her pay for college and in order to get financial aid through FAFSA she needed to be an unaccompanied minor. Ms. Kearney wasn’t even in the country when all of this was going down because she was deployed in the Middle East, and didn’t come back until the following year. But don’t let facts get in the way of your narrative. Maybe people need to take a more critical look at her abusive parents too.

  2. Well said, Macey – thanks for your insights. This story is heartbreaking – for everyone involved. We aim to push no agendas and sincerely appreciate your thoughtful comment. Have a blessed week! 🙂 Jack and Kitty