Note: Click on links below for available policies.

Policy Information

Type: Administrative Policy

Section: A

Code: ACA

Title: Name Changes

Status: Active

Key Dates

Adopted: August 29, 2024

Revised: April 21, 2025; December 16, 2024; November 22, 2024

Rescinded: N/A

Key Notes

General Notes: CASB, in response to HB 24-1039 (Non-Legal Name Changes) and C.R.S. 22-1-145, generated a template policy (ACA) and proliferated it to school districts for adoption. ASD20 administration implemented ACA on August 29, 2024, supposedly without Board knowledge.

Irregularities: Certain board members claimed they were caught off guard that ACA had been implemented by administrators without their knowledge; however, portions which parents were most upset about (not requiring parental approval to use an alternate name for a their child) remained unchanged after several edits of the policy. In fact, subsequent versions asserted that school counselors had discretion to enforce the use of an alternate name for a child if they deemed that child to be susceptible to harm.

Lay Opinion: On May 14, 2026, ASD20 legal counselor Brad Miller affirmed that Colorado law on this subject was inconsistent with superior federal law (FERPA, 34 CFR 99.20(a)) and case law (Troxel v. Granville | 530 U.S. 57 (2000), Mahmoud v. Taylor | 606 U.S. 522 (2025)).

It is a lay opinion that, even if Colorado government and educational institutions were to argue HB 24-1039 and C.R.S. 22-1-145 only address “non-legal” name changes (versus official), a superior ruling would conclude that the intent in the formation of these laws can only be perceived as a way to circumvent parental authority and, therefore, were unenforceable.

General Info: “The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship”.