Parents say school district silenced daughter after transgender rooming dispute
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Colorado family’s outrage that their 11-year-old daughter was assigned a hotel room — and ultimately the same bed — with a transgender student during an overnight field trip to Washington, D.C., has turned into a high-stakes federal call for parental rights and school transparency.
“They said that [they didn’t want us to talk about it] Because they wanted to protect the other student’s privacy. Our thoughts are, ‘What about our daughter’s privacy?'” asked Serena Wailes, the mother who said the school district did not inform her that one of the students assigned to the room was biologically male.
According to the Wailes family, their daughter learned the truth only when they arrived on the night cruise in 2023 and immediately called her mother, who was serving as a chaperone at the same event, in distress.
VIRGINIA PARENTS FACE $125K GOVERNMENT PAYMENT TO CONTINUE CONTESTIBLE TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM CASE
Although the school ultimately allowed the girl to change rooms, she was allegedly instructed not to discuss the reason for the change; parents argue that this directive reflects a broader pattern of secrecy in Jefferson County Public Schools.
Joe Wailes, the father who sued the school district, told “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday: “We didn’t talk to the school after that. We looked at different options and thought the best way was to take legal action to make a difference.”
Joe and Serena Wailes smile at the camera in the undated photo taken at an undisclosed location. (Alliance Defending Freedom)
“There were various issues going on in JeffCo schools that we couldn’t speak out about. We didn’t feel like we were going to get anywhere by speaking directly to the school or even the district. We really felt like we needed to do something to take greater action.”
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal organization focused on religious freedom cases, filed its opening brief in Wailes v. Jefferson County Public Schools before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on behalf of four families on Wednesday.
The lawsuit alleges that the Denver-area district allowed biologically male students to share overnight housing with girls based solely on gender identity without notifying parents or obtaining their consent.
PARENTS: TRANSSELF LOCKER ROOM POLICY RETAINED BY SCHOOL AFTER VIRGINIA BOYS QUESTIONED
A demonstrator holds a transgender pride flag during a Presidents Day protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 17. Transgender issues have been at the center of legal disputes in public schools in recent years, including the case involving the Wailes family. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It also alleges that the incident occurred despite the district’s assurance that boys and girls would be placed on separate hotel floors.
Appearing on “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday, ADF attorney Matt Sharp said the organization hopes to see the policy banned and eventually changed.
“We want parental rights to be protected. We want parents to be informed about such bad policies and their demands to be met,” he said.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“When they ask schools, ‘Don’t force our daughter to share a room with a boy,’ the school needs to honor that, respect parents, and protect girls’ privacy.”
Jefferson County Public Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s earlier request for comment.
However, the district released a statement about the incident to a local news outlet in September, writing:
“Although we have not yet been served with the lawsuit, we have only superficially reviewed the filings filed with the court and disagree with some of the allegations made therein. We look forward to having the opportunity to share the actual facts in court, including the reasonable accommodations we provide to families and students.”
“Families always have the final decision on whether their student will participate in any special program that includes residential housing. We take these issues seriously and comply with all Colorado state laws regarding how we treat students, staff, and families.”
Fox News’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
