Alliance Defending Freedom Demands Roaring Fork Schools Drop 3Rs Curriculum

Glenwood Springs —Roaring Fork Schools should stop using the 3Rs curriculum right now. That is the direct order from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The national nonprofit sent a letter Tuesday demanding the district “immediately discontinue” the program.

The demand comes after months of simmering tension over human sexuality education in the valley. Parents have long argued the lessons are “sexually explicit.” They claim the district hid the rollout from them. They say they were denied a meaningful choice to opt their children out.

Kate Anderson, ADF senior counsel and director of the Center for Parental Rights, put it plainly. She told the Post Independent the district is “burying the information from parents and denying them a meaningful choice to opt their children out — by design.”

Anderson argues the curriculum forces kindergartners to learn explicit anatomical terms. It asks them how they like to be touched. First graders work on reproduction. By second grade, what was once optional becomes mandatory. The ADF claims the program “instills gender ideology” across all grades.

The district disagrees. The Roaring Fork Schools sexual health curriculum website states the kindergarten lesson on touching is about boundaries. It teaches respect. “These are our bodies — we have the right to say whether and how we want someone else to touch them,” the lesson plan reads. It adds that children must listen and stop when told not to.

This issue has shaped local politics for years. It surfaced in the 2023 school board election. Former board member Betsy After and current member Lindsay DeFrates spoke against letting outside voices dictate the curriculum. Both won with over 70% of the vote.

It rose again in 2025. The tone was quieter. Incumbent Kathryn Kuhlenberg and Tammy Nimmo did not campaign on repealing the program. They both secured over 70% of the vote.

The letter is available on the ADF website. It cites the district’s failure to provide sufficient notice as a key failure point. Anderson wants the district to abandon the curriculum entirely. Or, at the very least, allow parents enough time to decide what is best for their family.

The Roaring Fork School District did not comment on Tuesday’s letter. No statement. No clarification. Just silence.

The ADF describes itself as “the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of marriage and the family.” Its legal team is watching.

Locals are left to weigh the evidence. Is the curriculum a tool for teaching bodily autonomy? Or is it a vehicle for gender ideology? The district says it is about boundaries. The ADF says it is about control.

The board holds the power. They have the votes. They have the curriculum. The question is whether they will listen to the letter or ignore it. The parents are waiting. The ADF is waiting. The district is not.