Trans student bed-sharing on JeffCo school trip has triggered parents

A Christian legal advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), has sent a letter to the Jefferson County school district, raising concerns about its policy regarding transgender students on overnight trips.

The letter, filed on behalf of two Jeffco parents, argues that the policy is unconstitutional and accuses the district of withholding information from parents and deceiving students.

Joe and Serena Wailes, the parents in question, have alleged that their eleven-year-old daughter was assigned to share a room and a bed with a transgender girl during a school trip without their knowledge.

According to ADF's letter, Jefferson County Public Schools assigned their daughter, identified as D.W., to sleep in the same bed as a fifth-grade boy who identifies as transgender, without notifying D.W. or her parents. It was only on the first night of the trip that D.W. learned about her roommate's transgender identity when the boy himself disclosed it.

Kate Anderson, Director of Center for Parental Rights at ADF, appeared on NewsMax2.

After multiple requests, D.W. and her parents were able to have her moved to another room.

The incident took place during a cross-country overnight trip to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. last summer. D.W. was initially assigned to share a room with three other students, including a transgender girl, according to the letter. ADF letter.

Upon learning about the transgender girl's identity, D.W. and her mother requested a change of room. However, while her bed was changed, D.W. was still kept in the same room and instructed not to disclose the reason for the bed switch, citing a desire to be closer to the air conditioner instead. When another roommate suggested that the trans student also switch to the bed near the air conditioner, D.W. and her mother complained again, leading to the trans student being moved to another room, with the explanation given to other students being that a sick roommate required more space.

Jeffco Public Schools has responded to the allegations, stating that the student's transgender status was not known at the time room assignments were made by the private travel organization that organized the trip.

The district spokesperson explained that as soon as the transgender identity of the student was known, room assignments were adjusted. However, Alliance Defending Freedom is questioning the school district's transgender student policy as a whole, arguing that it places the rights of transgender students above those of other students.

According to Jeffco's policy, transgender students' needs are assessed on a case-by-case basis for overnight activities. In most cases, transgender students are roomed with other students who share their gender identity, rather than their sex assigned at birth. According to the policy, it aims to minimize stigmatization and promote the social integration of transgender students.

Alliance Defending Freedom, however, contends that the policy prioritizes transgender students over others and accuses the district of violating the privacy rights of D.W. and her parents by not informing them ahead of time about their daughter's transgender roommate, which would have allowed them to request alternative accommodations without fear of social backlash.

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Senior counsel Kate Anderson, representing ADF, stated in the letter, "Every parent should have the information needed to make the best decision for their children. Schools should never hide information from parents, yet that’s exactly what JCPS officials did here. And that put the Waileses’ eleven-year-old daughter in a very challenging situation where she had to choose between sleeping in the same bed with a biological boy and advocating for her privacy in front of her teachers and peers."