Colorado parents sue district for assigning 11-year-old daughter to bed with male student 

Three Colorado families are suing their school district for rooming their children with transgender classmates of the opposite biological sex – and hiding it from the parents. 

The scandal began in 2023 when Joe and Serena Wailes discovered their 11-year-old daughter was assigned to the same bed as a biological boy on an overnight trip. 

Their lawsuit against the Jefferson County school district (Jeffco) and school board accuses them of “always prioritiz[ing] the male student’s privacy and feelings over [their daughter’s].” 

The Wailes are joined by two other families who also object to the district’s policy of sorting students by gender identity instead of biological sex. 

One 6th-grade boy was even assigned a female high school counselor during a four-day camping trip, called Outdoor Lab, in which the counselor was required to supervise preteen boys showering, undressing and sleeping. 

“[The plaintiff’s son] and many other boys in his cabin decided together to refuse to shower during their entire stay at Outdoor Lab because they were too embarrassed and scared to shower in front of a female,” the complaint says.  

The families allege Jeffco’s policies violate the First and Fourteenth Amendment and that at minimum, the district should give parents accurate information about overnight trip accommodations.  

“Parent Plaintiffs’ free-exercise rights include the right to raise their children in accordance with their religious beliefs and the right to direct their children’s education and upbringing consistent with their religious beliefs, including the immutability of sex, their beliefs about bodily privacy, interactions with the opposite sex, and sexual modesty,” the lawsuit reads.  

However, this isn’t the first time Jeffco has been accused of advancing objectionable, progressive agendas.  

For a decade, Jeffco purposefully hid student pronouns and name-changes from parents – a practice affirmed by DEI specialists.  

And in 2023, the local teachers’ union advised destroying recorded surveys about students’ gender identities and preferred pronouns so they couldn’t be “requested under federal law.”  

The district also trained teachers to wear LGBT pride gear to make their classes “even more inclusive.” 

But the Wailes and their fellow plaintiffs say Jeffco has gone too far. 

“Parents, not the government, have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and that includes making informed decisions to protect their child’s privacy,” said Kate Anderson, attorney for the plaintiffs and senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom.  

“If Jefferson County Public Schools is going to continue placing students of the opposite sex in the same room on overnight trips – as it confirmed it would – the district must let parents be the one to make decisions about their children’s privacy. And they must provide the information necessary and inform parents about the policy so parents can make the best decisions for their children.”