Boulder teacher who pleaded guilty to child abuse is fighting to keep job as school board weighs his firing

The Boulder Valley school board is set to vote at a special meeting Wednesday on whether to fire a sixth-grade math teacher who pleaded guilty to child abuse after being accused of inappropriately touching students.

Last month, Superintendent Rob Anderson recommended the dismissal of Daniel Greenberg, 56, a teacher at Boulder’s Manhattan Middle School.

Greenberg, through the Colorado Education Association’s staff attorney, contested the dismissal and requested a hearing. But, according to Boulder Valley legal counsel Katherine Sullivan, Colorado law allows the school board to fire him without a hearing because he was convicted of child abuse.

According to an arrest affidavit, an investigation found Greenberg was involved in numerous non-consensual acts of inappropriate touching of his male and female students. Greenberg has been with Boulder Valley since 2001 and at Manhattan Middle School since 2019, according to the district.

Greenberg, who had been on paid administrative leave from March 2024 until recently, was initially charged with sexual assault of a child in a position of trust — victim under 15; 10 counts of child abuse — knowingly or recklessly cause bodily injury; and 10 counts of harassment.

However, after pleading guilty to one count of child abuse and one count of harassment April 18, Greenberg was sentenced to a year and six months of probation and six months of work-release, according to court records. Upon pleading guilty, his remaining charges were dismissed. Work-release is typically when an incarcerated person stays the night in a supervised facility and leaves during the day to go to work in the community.

Conditions of the plea agreement include surrendering his teaching license and agreeing not to teach or coach, even on a voluntary basis, according to the school district.

“Despite pleading guilty and being adjudicated, Mr. Greenberg refused to resign or otherwise acknowledge that he will never teach again,” school board materials say.

According to an email Sullivan sent to Boulder Valley Education Association President David Stewart, Greenberg had requested a hearing to contest his dismissal and “additional pay and compensation.” The Boulder Valley Education Association is the union that represents the district’s teachers.

“Mr. Greenberg will be incarcerated and without a teaching license during the time that BVEA asserts he is entitled to pay and compensation as a teacher,” Sullivan wrote. “BVSD rejects Mr. Greenberg and BVEA’s demands because they are legally wrong and professionally and ethically repugnant.”

Stewart declined to comment, citing pending legal matters.

Colorado Education Association staff attorney Euell Thomas didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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