Truth & Liberty Calls Policy Insane, Warns of Ideological Crisis in Public Schools
WOODLAND PARK, Colo. — A Colorado family is taking Jefferson County Public Schools (Jeffco) to federal court after their 11-year-old daughter was assigned to share a hotel room and the same bed with a biologically male student who identifies as female during a 2023 school trip to Washington, D.C.
The parents, Joe and Serena Wailes, say their daughter was blindsided by the sleeping arrangement and was instructed by school staff not to tell anyone the reason for her room reassignment. Now, the case has escalated into a high-stakes legal appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, with important implications for parents’ rights, transparency, and addressing the onslaught of radical gender-identity policies in public schools.
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The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed its opening brief this week on behalf of four families involved in Wailes v. Jefferson County Public Schools. The lawsuit claims the district allows biological males to share overnight accommodations with girls based solely on gender identity — all without notifying parents or requesting consent.
“Parents, not government bureaucrats, have the right and responsibility to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and that includes making informed decisions to protect their children’s privacy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights. “This fundamental right is especially vital for all parents who wish to raise their children according to their religious values and protect their children’s bodily privacy. Jefferson County Public Schools claims to ‘freely grant accommodations to all,’ yet they will not offer equal accommodations to religious students to access educational opportunities without sacrificing their bodily privacy.”
Secrecy and Ideological Overreach
Richard Harris, executive director of the Truth & Liberty Foundation, says the case exposes what he sees as a dangerous shift in public education.
“The case out of Jefferson County Public Schools demonstrates how insane the policies of radical gender ideology have become. It’s time to abandon the delusional gender identity framework altogether and get back to the truth and common sense,” Harris said.
Harris added that honesty — not affirmation of confusion — is what children need:
“If a boy feels like he fits in more as a girl, let’s not lie to him by pretending he is a girl. That only fuels the destructive delusion… let’s tell him the truth that he is, in fact, a boy… and affirm his wonderful God-given identity.”
He argued that placing girls in a room or bed with a biological male student — without disclosure — puts minors in an “impossible position” and shatters trust between families and schools.
According to FOX News’ reporting, the Wailes family described the district’s handling of the trip as intentionally misleading and part of a broader pattern in which gender-related policies are implemented behind closed doors.
Harris said Truth & Liberty stands firmly with the parents challenging these policies.
“Parents have both the right and the responsibility to protect their children, and schools must not interfere with that God-given duty.”
Why It Matters
Schools shoul never be allowed to make gender-related decisions affecting minors without notifying families. Secrecy surrounding overnight accommodations creates unacceptable risks for children.The case is part of a growing call for accountability for schools attempting to indoctrinate our kids.
Faith Perspective
For many Christian families, this case represents a question of biblical responsibility and obedience to God’s word. Scripture calls parents the primary protectors and disciplers of their children. If schools attempt to withhold information, they have crossed the line with God’s design and the good of the child. It’s child abuse, actually. Wisdom, truth, and integrity are core biblical values, and any system that relies on secrecy undermines those foundations.
