Parents of students in a Colorado school district are suing over an alleged policy that forced youngsters to bed with classmates of the opposite sex, which they claim violated their rights.
The Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit against Jefferson County Public Schools (JeffCo) on Thursday on behalf of three Colorado families who believe the policy keeps them in the dark.
Joe and Serena Wailes claimed their 11-year-old daughter was forced to share a bed with a biological man who identified as a girl during an overnight vacation in June 2023. The Wailes’ daughter revealed that one of the students she was assigned to share a room with was a biological male who identified as a female, which she discovered when the student informed her as they were getting ready for bed on the first night of the trip.
According to JeffCo policy, students who identify as the opposite sex should be “assigned to share overnight accommodations with other students that share the student’s consistently asserted gender identity at school.”
“Under no circumstance shall a student who is transgender be required to share a room with students whose gender identity conflicts with their own,” according to the document.
ADF claims that the school district informs parents that “girls will be roomed together on one floor, and boys will be roomed together on a different floor,” but it fails to disclose that the terms “girl” and “boy” have been redefined to refer to a student’s self-asserted “gender identity” rather than sex.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, JeffCo stated: “While we have not yet been served with the lawsuit, we have undertaken a preliminary examination of what was filed with the court and disagree with a number of the accusations made in it. We are looking forward to the opportunity to convey the genuine facts in court, including the reasonable modifications we provide to families and children.
“Families always have the ultimate choice whether their student participates in any unique programming that involves overnight accommodations,” the press release stated. “We take these issues seriously, and we follow all Colorado state laws when it comes to how we treat students, staff, and families.”
The Wailes wrote two letters to the school district, requesting that JeffCo allow parents to opt their children out of any policy before to an overnight trip that rooms pupils by gender identity rather than sex. They argue that the school district declined their request.
Because the Wailes’ daughter was concerned with the prospect of sharing a bed with a male student, she snuck into the bathroom and silently called her father, then mother. She was meant to share a room with three other fifth-grade girls.
According to ADF, the chaperones asked the Wailes’ daughter if she could simply transfer to another bed rather than a new room, and while she was still uncomfortable, she consented to try it for that night to get some sleep. Later, chaperones on the vacation allegedly instructed the Wailes’ daughter to “lie” about why she wanted to swap rooms.
According to ADF, the district declined to provide parents with “truthful, pertinent information” concerning their children’s overnight lodgings, limiting their capacity “to make informed decisions about their children’s education and privacy.”
Serena Wailes told Fox News Digital that schools should provide complete transparency to parents about facts that directly affect their children.
“We never thought our daughter would be put in a situation like this, or we would be forced to ask our school district to stop hiding information regarding our children’s privacy and safety, but the need for transparency and trust towards our school district is critical,” she told me.
“Every child deserves respect and privacy, but that respect and privacy must extend to all students equally, and as parents, we must make the best decisions on behalf of our children to guide and protect their well-being,” according to her.
Since the Wailes spoke out in December, other parents have come forward with similar stories.
According to ADF, at the district’s “Outdoor Lab” retreat, which takes sixth-grade children to the mountains for a science vacation, a group of middle-school girls had a transgender student placed in their cabin without their parent’s knowledge. In addition, a transgender female high school counselor was assigned to supervise a cabin of sixth-grade boys, which included watching their showers.
ADF filed a second letter to the district in January, citing additional facts as more parents came forward. According to the lawsuit, the school district has also refused to provide accommodations for kids attending trips such as Outdoor Lab who are uncomfortable staying in the same room with children of the opposite biological sex.
According to Mallory Sleight, ADF legal counsel, the Wailes and the two other families suing simply want the best for their children so they may feel safe and comfortable at school and on school trips.
“JeffCo has pushed a policy that leaves parents in the dark and creates confusion and discomfort for children attending school-sponsored trips,” she told me. “We are now filing this lawsuit against Jefferson County Public Schools because they continue to override the voice of parents by ignoring their concerns for their children.”
In a December interview with Fox News Digital, Joe Wailes admitted to feeling “helpless” in shielding his daughter from the circumstances.
“It was quite shocking. It was a powerless feeling,” he explained. “She was calling and texting me from the bathroom to prevent other kids from overhearing her conversation.” So it’s a helpless feeling when your daughter is hiding in the bathroom, trying to communicate with you, and you’re 2,000 miles away and can’t do anything.”
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