Colorado

Colorado parents sue district over alleged policy to assign rooms based on gender identity instead of sex

Published

2 years ago

September 6, 2024

Colorado parents sue district over alleged policy to assign rooms based on gender identity instead of sex

Parents of students in a Colorado school district are suing over an alleged policy that forced children to bunk with students of the opposite sex in what they claim is a violation of their rights.

Alliance Defending Freedom filed suit against Jefferson County Public Schools (JeffCo) on Thursday on behalf of three Colorado families who claim the policy keeps them in the dark.

Joe and Serena Wailes said their 11-year-old daughter was forced to share her bed with a biological male who identified as a girl on an overnight trip in June 2023. The Wailes’ daughter said she found out one of the students she was assigned to share a room with was a biological male who identified as a female, which she only found out when the student told her as they were getting ready for bed on the first night of the trip.

JeffCo policy states that students who identify as the opposite sex should be “assigned to share overnight accommodations with other students that share the student’s gender identity consistently asserted at school.”

“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 policy states.

ADF claims the school district tells parents that “girls will be roomed together on one floor, and boys will be roomed together on a different floor,” but what it fails to disclose is that they have redefined the words “girl” and “boy” to mean a student’s self-asserted “gender identity” rather than sex.

Joe and Serena Wailes (Alliance Defending Freedom)

The Wailes sent two letters to the school district asking JeffCo to allow parents to opt their children out of any policy prior to an overnight trip that rooms children by gender identity rather than sex. They claim the school district denied their request.

COLORADO DISTRICT EQUITY DOCS REVEAL METHODICAL SYSTEM TO DECEIVE PARENTS ON IN-SCHOOL SOCIAL TRANSITIONS

Because the Wailes’ daughter was uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with a male student, she snuck into the bathroom and quietly called her father and then her mother. She was reportedly supposed to be assigned to a room with three fifth-grade girls.

The chaperones reportedly asked the Wailes’ daughter if she could simply move to another bed rather than a new room, and while she was still uncomfortable, she agreed to try it for that night so that she could get some sleep, according to ADF. Later, chaperones on the trip allegedly told the Wailes’ daughter to “lie” about the reason why she wanted to switch rooms.

ADF argues that the district refused to give parents “truthful, pertinent information” about their children’s overnight accommodations, which hinders their ability “to make informed decisions about their children’s education and privacy.”

Serena Wailes told Fox News Digital that parents should have complete transparency from schools on information that directly impacts their children.

DIVERSITY TEACHERS SAYS HE WANTS TO ‘BURN THINGS DOWN’ FOR EQUITY AGENDA AFTER STAFF TRASHES HIS DEI CLASS

“We never thought our daughter would be put in a situation like this, or we would be forced to ask our own school district to stop hiding information regarding our children’s privacy and safety, but the need for transparency and trust towards our school district is critical,” she said.

“Every child deserves respect and privacy, but that respect and privacy must extend to all students equally, and as parents, we have a duty to make the best decisions on behalf of our children to guide and protect their well-being,” she added.

Since the Wailes spoke out in December, more parents have come forward with similar reports.

At the district’s “Outdoor Lab” retreat, in which sixth-grade students travel to the mountains for a science trip, a group of middle-school girls had a student who identified as trans placed in their cabin without the knowledge of their parents, according to ADF. In addition, a high school counselor, a transgender-identifying female, was put in charge of a cabin of sixth-grade boys, which reportedly included monitoring their showers.

ADF sent a second letter to the district in January in light of new information as more parents came forward. The school district has also refused to provide accommodation for students attending trips like Outdoor Lab in the event they are uncomfortable with staying in the same room as students of the opposite biological sex, the suit claims.

WISCONSIN PARENTS CHALLENGE TITLE IX CHANGES DURING SCHOOL BOARD MEETING: ‘BOYS ARE BOYS AND GIRLS ARE GIRLS’

Mallory Sleight, ADF legal counsel, told Fox News Digital that the Wailes and the two other families suing just want what is best for their children so they can feel safe and comfortable at school and on school trips.

Joe and Serena Wailes (Alliance Defending Freedom)

“JeffCo has pushed a policy that leaves parents in the dark and creates confusion and discomfort for children attending school-sponsored trips,” she said. “We are now filing this lawsuit against Jefferson County Public Schools because they continue to override the voice of parents by ignoring their concerns for their children.”

Joe Wailes previously described feeling “helpless” in protecting his daughter from the situation in a December interview with Fox News Digital.

“It was a bit of a shock. It was a helpless feeling,” he said. “Here I am … she was calling me and texting me from the bathroom because she didn’t want the other kids to overhear what she was saying. So it’s a pretty helpless feeling when your daughter is hiding in the bathroom, she’s trying to convey a message to you, and you’re 2,000 miles away and can’t do anything.”

Fox News Digital reached out to JeffCo for comment.

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Fox News’ Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.

Kendall Tietz is a writer with Fox News Digital.

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Colorado

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Published

9 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Xcel Energy is warning its customers along the Front Range to be prepared for possible power outages this week as the risk of wildfire surges due to hot and dry weather.

“Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, enhanced powerline safety settings are active across out Front Range service territory,” according to a social media post from the utility. The settings make the powerlines more sensitive and prompt a line to stop the flow of electricity if an object touches a line.

The highest risk for wildfire danger will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when strong gusty winds are forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.

Humidity could be as low as 10% and winds may top 25 mph, leading to critical and extremely critical fire weather between Thursday and Saturday, forecasters said.

Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in recent months from planned outages during fire danger and powerline damage from high winds.

In December, 86,040 Xcel customers lost power because of a mix of planned shutoffs and downed powerlines from high winds. The decision led some customers to criticize the utility, asking it to fine-tune its weather responses.

Some schools in northern Colorado schools preemptively canceled classes in January after Xcel announced a planned power shutoff for 9,000 customers in the area.

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Colorado

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Published

21 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Edmonton Oilers (31-25-8) @ Colorado Avalanche (43-10-9)

8 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After back-to-back shootout victories, the Avalanche concludes its two-game homestand on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. This game is an Avalanche Cup Classic, presented by KeyBank, which will honor the 2022 Avs team that won the Stanley Cup and defeated the Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Tuesday’s game is the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams, as the Avalanche won 9-1 in Edmonton on November 8th, and they’ll play in Alberta on April 13th.

Sunday Success

The Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday at Ball Arena. Nathan MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy both scored for Colorado while Nazem Kadri posted an assist in his second Avs debut. In net for Colorado, Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. MacKinnon opened the scoring at 12:19 of the second period with his 43rd goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Kadri, who began the play with an interception below the offensive-zone goal line. Kirill Kaprizov tied the game for Minnesota with a power-play goal at 4:17 of the third period when his pass from the right circle deflected into the net. The Wild took a 2-1 lead at 7:01 of the third period when Nico Sturm scored a shorthanded breakaway. Colorado tied the game at 12:39 of the third period when Nicolas Roy scored his first goal as an Av and sixth of the season via a net-front deflection on Brett Kulak’s slap shot. In the shootout, Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado in the first round, Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota in the second round and MacKinnon tallied the winner in the fourth round.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (43) while ranking second in points (104) and third in assists (61).

All Hail Cale

Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for second in points (66) while ranking fourth in goals (19) and assists (47).

Marty Party

Martin Necas is tied for seventh in the NHL in points (76).

Series History

In 135 regular-season games against the Oilers, the Avalanche has a record of 74-49-6-6. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Avs winning the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals in five games and the 2022 Western Conference Final in four contests.

Sunday in Sin City

The Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. In the second period, Trent Frederic opened the scoring for Edmonton at 3:21 before Vegas’ Noah Hanifin tied the game at 13:09. The Oilers took a 3-1 third-period lead after goals from Vasily Podkolzin at 2:34 and Leon Draisaitl at 11:53. Jack Eichel cut the Golden Knights’ deficit to one with a shorthanded goal at 16:43 of the third period. Edmonton took a 4-2 lead when Kasperi Kapanen scored an empty-net goal at 18:03 of the third period.

Producing Offense Against the Oilers

MacKinnon has posted 39 points (13g/26a) in 29 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to five points (3g/2a) in four playoff contests.

Makar has registered 13 points (5g/8a) in 13 regular-season contests against Edmonton, in addition to nine points (2g/7a) in four playoff games.

Kadri has recorded 25 points (12g/13a) in 30 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to four points (1g/3a) in three playoff contests.

Edmonton’s Elite

Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in points (108), goals (35) and assists (73).

Draisaitl is second on the Oilers in points (92), goals (34) and assists (58).

Evan Bouchard is third on the Oilers in points (73) and assists (55) while ranking fourth in goals (18).

A Numbers Game

34

The Avalanche are 34-0-0 when leading after the second period this season.

85

Colorado leads the NHL with 85 second-period goals this campaign.

.806

The Avalanche’s .806 points percentage at home this season is the best in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Emotional seeing the support I get here. It’s absolutely incredible. It makes me want to play harder for these fans and this team.”

— Nazem Kadri on the support he received from Avalanche fans at Sunday’s game

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Colorado

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

In his first spring training action of 2026, Kyle Freeland faced the daunting task of pitching against Team USA in an exhibition game on March 4. He gave up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in a two-hit, one-strikeout performance in one inning.

Today, Freeland and the Rockies (8-6-1) will take part in his first Cactus League action against the White Sox (10-7) at Camelback Ranch. The Rockies are 5-2 on the road this spring vs. 3-5-1, including the showdown vs. Team USA, at Salt River Fields.

Today’s game represents a rematch of a Feb. 23 showdown where the Rockies beat the White Sox 5-4. Chicago will send Jedisxson Paez to the mound to start the game. The 22-year-old RHP will be making his third spring appearance. He’s posted a 23.14 ERA in 2 1/3 innings over two starts with six earned runs, six hits, including one homer, three strikeouts and one walk. Former Rockie Drew Romo will be starting at catcher for the White Sox.

On Sunday, four pitchers combined to throw five scoreless innings and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman each had two-hit performances in the Rockies 4-4 tie with Cleveland. Even though it’s only spring training, the Rockies offense has been much improved thus far. The Rockies rank among all Major League teams this Spring in: on-base percentage (.381, T-1st), home runs (23, T-4th), average (.287, 3rd), HBP (14, T-2nd), slugging (.492, 3rd), OPS (.871, 3rd), runs scored (98, 5th), RBI (91, 6th) and total bases (254, 6th).

Earlier on Monday, the Rockies released a new motto for the 2026 campaign: “New era. At altitude. We are here for the climb.”

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