ADF Files Civil Rights Complaints to Protect Female Athletes, Parents
Alliance Defending Freedom sent two complaints on Wednesday to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), asking the agency to investigate unlawful policies harming students and female athletes.
In its first complaint, ADF attorneys are asking OCR to investigate Washington state’s athletic policy which permits males to compete in women’s sports.
Because of the policy, two female high school track and field athletes – Kora Lengerich, a freshman at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington, and Soleil Hoefer, a senior at Prosser High School in Prosser, Washington – are being forced to compete against a male athlete.
The male – who previously competed in the high school boys’ category – now runs on the female track team at East Valley High School in Spokane and “dominates the girls’ 400-meter race,” ADF notes. Last year, he won the state championship for the girls’ 400 meter and is likely to do so again this year.
Lengerich has already lost a podium spot to the male athlete, and Hoefer will likely have to compete against him soon.
The girls are “urging the OCR to step in and prevent this violation of Title IX and protect the right of women and girls to compete fairly and safely by preserving a women’s-only sports category.”
“It is fundamentally unfair that, despite all of their hard work and discipline, Soliel and Kora may never get to know the thrill of victory,” said ADF Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher in a statement, “because Washington forces them to race against males with inherent biological advantages.” She added,
In its second complaint, ADF joined the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and Parents Defending Education, urging the DOE to investigate Milwaukee Public School’s secret “gender transition” policy.
The policy permits school staff to create “Gender Support Plans” and “Gender Communication Plans” for minor students without notifying their parents and then omit those plans from the students’ records to keep them secret.
The complaint alleges the policy violates federal law – including the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.
“Parents, not the government, have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights, in a statement. She added,
Under the Biden administration, the DOE amended Title IX, rewriting “sex” to include “gender identity” in an attempt to force schools nationwide to permit males into female sports, competitions and locker rooms.
Under the Trump administration, there’s a new sheriff in town.
President Trump’s executive order protecting women’s sports, signed in February, directs the secretary of education to “take all appropriate action to affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities.” It also directs the secretary to “prioritize enforcement against schools that violate the policy.”
The DOE has been tasked with defending girls and women’s sports, ensuring young women are protected from males who would do them harm.
It’s past time to say, “Enough is enough.” Enough young women – like Peyton McNabb, for example – have been physically injured by men in their sports or had athletic opportunities stolen from them by males. Enough young children have been harmed by school districts hiding their sexual identity confusion from parents.
The Daily Citizen is hopeful the DOE will quickly step in and restore common sense and biological reality in both cases above.
If you’re concerned about what your child is being taught in school, check out this updated, free resource from Focus on the Family and Family Policy Alliance: Equipping Parents for Back-to-School.
We want parents to feel confident and equipped to manage issues affecting public – and private and online – schooling. The FREE downloadable resource helps you be aware of what’s going on in your child’s classroom and offers guidance for how to advocate for your child in the school year ahead.
Related articles and resources:
Counseling Consultation & Referrals
Addressing Gender Identity with Honesty and Compassion
The Journey Back to My True Identity
Payton McNabb, Injured Volleyball Player, Wins Title IX Victory
Department of Education Launches Multiple Investigations Into Title IX Violations
Don’t Let the Media Deceive You About Trump’s Order Protecting Female Athletes
Trump Signs Executive Order Protecting Women’s Sports and Spaces
Photo from Alliance Defending Freedom.
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