Controversial Colorado school board members face recall votes in November

Recall supporters will have their chance in November.

Recall supporters will have their chance in November.

Conservative school board members in Jefferson County, Colorado, tried to revamp the district's AP History curriculum so that it didn't "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law." That meant changing the way Jefferson County schools taught about historical figures like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Outraged students and teachers claimed the move was censorship and it prompted students and teachers to walk out.

Jefferson County Clerk Faye Griffin have announced enough signatures have been gathered to put the recall vote for school board members Ken Witt, Julie Williams and John Newkirk on the November ballot, a move that could save the county $500,000 in taxpayer dollars for a special election.

While many in Colorado celebrated the announcement, Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said the county may be forced to pay for a special election after all:

Secretary of State Wayne Williams sent a letter to Jefferson county’s clerk on Thursday warning her to have a contingency plan.

Williams said, “You will need near-optimal circumstances to place both recall and coordinated (statewide) content on the same ballot and meet the ballot-mailing deadline for the (November) election.”

In the meantime, conservative supporters and organizations are already pumping thousands of dollars into television ads in support of the conservative school board members.