Former dean of students files lawsuit against Elizabeth School District claiming ‘retaliation’ over book ban

A former dean of students at a Colorado middle school has filed a lawsuit against the Elizabeth School District and two employees after she was fired following her voicing her opinion on the district’s decision to remove several books from school libraries.

The lawsuit claims that LeEllen Condry’s firing was discriminatory and violated her First Amendment rights.

In the summer of 2024, the district decided to remove 19 books from school libraries based on what the school board deemed to be highly sensitive content. It included books with references to slavery, police brutality and gay characters, among other themes.

Condry said that when she found out, she sent the Elbert County district a letter saying the decision was racist and unethical.

“I just felt it was wrong, getting rid of books that deal with difficult parts of history. You've got books about slavery, there's books about gay individuals. It's a way to learn,” Condry said. “I just felt that when there's a book ban and you're trying to get rid of 19 books, to me that's hatred towards these groups of people.”

In an August 2024 email to staff, the superintendent, Dan Snowberger, described the board’s responsibility to respond to the voters of the “very conservative community.”

“Our parents, though they may see things differently than you, are not ignorant, uneducated, or racist. They simply have different points of view than you may have. Yes, there are some in our community who may disagree with the majority of Elbert County residents as a whole. We live in a very conservative community and must recognize our board's charge is to respond to the community that elected them and holds them accountable,” Snowberger wrote.

In October 2024, Condry was fired, three months into her 12-month contract with the district. According to the lawsuit, filed Sunday, the district cited budgetary reasons, but Condry doesn’t believe that.

The district and superintendent have not returned calls for comment at the time of publication.

The ACLU of Colorado has also sued the district over the bans. In March 2025, a federal judge ordered the Elizabeth School District to return the 19 books to the libraries. In April, the school district appealed, but the court declined to lift the injunction and forced the school district to return the books. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case in January. 

Condry, a Black woman, said that others with whom she worked were fearful to speak up about the ban and that she had a feeling she would face retaliation. The lawsuit is against the district, its superintendent and its human resources director.

“The Elizabeth School District has sought to silence the voices of Black women within the walls of its schools. It has done so through the imposition of a Book Ban prohibiting literary works that speak to the Black experience from its school library shelves,” the lawsuit claims.

According to the lawsuit, after Condry sent her letter disapproving of the district’s decision, she and other district employees received an email from Snowberger saying that some of the feedback on the decision “crossed the lines of professional and ethical behavior.”

Condry is requesting economic and compensatory damages, a written apology and mandatory training for the district and other forms of relief. 

“I think not only an apology to me, but I believe that there are other people in that district who were let go due to not fitting into the culture of the district,” she said. “I also believe that there should be training in that district, learning how to get along with groups of people who you may not align with. Learning how to get along with people who are gay, hear what they have to say. It's important that we all get along.”

The 19 books are:

• “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas 
• “Beloved” by Toni Morrison 
• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison 
• “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini 
• “You Should See Me in a Crown” by Leah Johnson 
• “#Pride: Championing LGBTQ Rights” by Rebecca Felix
• “George/Melissa” by Alex Gino,
• “It’s Your World—If You Don’t Like It, Change It” by Mikki Halpin
• “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky 
• “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher 
• “Looking for Alaska” by John Green 
• “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodie Picoult
• “Crank,” “Glass,” “Fallout,” “Identical,” “Burned” and “Smoke,” all by Ellen Hopkins 
• “Speak” by Laurie Anderson was never returned to the library but is banned.