The parents of an 11-year-old girl in Jefferson County, Colorado are demanding answers after their daughter was allegedly told to share a room and bed with a male who identifies as a female on an overnight school trip.
Joe and Serena Wailes, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) wrote to Superintendent Dorland and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) to request clarification on the district’s transgender policy after their daughter (“D.W”) was asked to share a bed with a biological male.
In June 2023, D.W.’s fifth-grade class took a trip to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. with students from other JCPS schools in attendance. D.W.’s mother accompanied her on the trip but did not share a room with her daughter. The 11-year-old girl was instead assigned a room with 3 other students in her grade, one of whom (“K.E.M.”) revealed to D.W. the first night that he was a transgender-identifying girl, but biologically a male.
“D.W. was immediately uncomfortable with the prospect of sharing a room and a bed with a male, regardless of the student’s gender identity. D.W. snuck into the bathroom, which did not lock, and quietly called her mother, Serena,” the ADF explains in its letter to the school district. “JCPS told [parents] … that male and female students would stay on separate floors.”
Serena Wailes informed D.W.’s Principal, Ryan Lucas of the situation, and he later called K.E.M.’s parents to inquire about D.W.’s claims. “K.E.M.’s parents confirmed their child’s transgender gender identity and that K.E.M. was to be in ‘stealth mode,’ meaning students on the trip would not know about their child’s transgender status,” the ADF claims.
D.W.’s parents said that it took multiple requests to move their daughter to a separate room. “Throughout the entire evening, K.E.M.’s privacy and feelings were always the primary concern of JCPS employees,” the legal firm stated. Furthermore, the parents alleged that “a JCPS teacher told the three girls that they were not allowed to tell anyone that K.E.M. was transgender, even though K.E.M. voluntarily chose to share this information.”
JCPS caters to students who have adopted a transgender identity, by allowing them, in “most cases,” to share a room with other students based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
“Under no circumstance shall a student who is transgender be required to share a room with students whose gender identity conflicts with their own,” the JCPS policy states. The district also requires school administrators and educators to keep a student’s gender identity or transgender status a secret. “School staff shall not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status to others, including parents and other school staff, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure,” the policy directs.
ADF writes that D.W.’s parents are concerned with the “unequal application” of district policy regarding the privacy and rights of students. “While K.E.M.’s parents had all the information and could make informed decisions about where and with whom K.E.M. would room, D.W.’s parents and the parents of the two other girls, were intentionally kept in the dark,” the letter states, adding that their young daughter’s “privacy and comfort were not respected or even considered.”
The legal firm requested that JCPS respond to several inquiries by December 18, including whether or not parents will be informed of the sex of their children’s roommates before future trips, and whether or not parents will be able to opt out of policies prioritizing gender identity rather than sex when establishing rooming lists, among other assurances.
