Colorado parents are taking legal action against their local school district following an incident during an overnight school trip where an 11-year-old girl reportedly shared a hotel bed with a biologically male transgender student. The lawsuit, filed by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal organization, argues that the district’s policy of assigning students to overnight accommodations based on gender identity rather than biological sex, without parental consent, infringes on the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children’s upbringing and education. The case, titled ‘Wailes v. Jefferson County Public Schools,’ was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, with ADF representing four families. The lawsuit claims that the district’s policies not only violate parental rights but also place students in potentially unsafe or uncomfortable situations. ADF contends that the lack of parental consent and the absence of sex-separated alternatives in room assignments constitute a breach of religious liberty and bodily privacy rights. The case highlights broader concerns about the implementation of transgender-inclusive policies in schools and their impact on parental authority and children’s welfare.
The lawsuit alleges that the Jefferson County Public Schools’ policy allows transgender students to room with students of the opposite sex based solely on gender identity, without notifying families or offering alternatives. Parents argue that such policies ignore their role in making critical decisions about their children’s education and personal safety. The Wailes family claims that their daughter was assigned to a two-bed hotel room with three students, one of whom was biologically male and identified as a transgender female. According to the complaint, the girl reportedly learned of the roommate’s gender identity on the first night of the trip and called her mother, who was serving as a chaperone nearby. The district’s policy, however, reportedly states that students may be assigned overnight accommodations based on gender identity, with no option for families to request same-sex-only rooming. The lawsuit highlights multiple instances where similar situations occurred, including a case involving an 11-year-old boy whose counselor at a school-run camp was initially described as male but later revealed to be a non-binary adult biologically female.
ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson emphasized that the district’s policy threatens the parental right to direct their children’s upbringing and education, particularly for families who adhere to religious values. She argued that the school’s claim to provide accommodations to all students without compromising their bodily privacy is inconsistent with its approach to accommodating transgender students. The lawsuit also cites a recent case in Virginia, where parents reported that their sons were suspended after raising concerns about a transgender student’s use of locker rooms, only to have their complaints ignored by school authorities. The case underscores growing tensions between parents and school districts over transgender-inclusive policies and the perceived erosion of parental rights in educational settings. With no immediate response from Jefferson County Public Schools, the case remains in the legal system, highlighting the ongoing debate over the balance between individual rights, religious freedoms, and student safety in public education.