West
High school coach fired after pushing to change state trans athlete law: 'Vilified' for standing up for girls
An Oregon high school track and field coach says his First Amendment rights were violated when a local school district terminated his contract for sending letters to state officials, advocating for a change in laws concerning transgender athletes.
John Parks had been the head track and field coach at Lake Oswego High School outside of Portland from Jan. 2023 until backlash ensued after he penned letters to Peter Weber, the Executive Director of the Oregon Student Activities Association (OSAA), and State Sen. Rob Wagner in May, seeking changes to current policies allowing transgender students to compete under the gender they identify as, local outlet KATU reported.
His actions allegedly violated district policy. An investigation began after the district reportedly received a formal complaint alleging Parks had made a transgender student athlete from a different school feel “unwelcome and discriminated against” at events throughout the spring, something Parks denied, The Oregonian reported.
The investigation ended with Parks’ termination.
OREGON TRACK AND FIELD COACH SAYS SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRED HIM AFTER HE ADVOCATED FOR TRANSGENDER LAW CHANGES
Former Lake Oswego High School Coach John Parks is challenging his termination after he was released for pushing for a change to Oregon’s transgender athlete policies. (Getty Images)
Parks told Fox News Digital on Monday he feels he was “vilified” for standing up for girls’ right to compete fairly.
“It’s kind of like a slap in the face to say, ‘I’ve fought for you, I’ve got girls scholarships to some of the best schools in the country – guys as well – and you’re tossing me aside because you’re saying I wrote a letter that you, after the fact, are saying was inappropriate hate and harassment because I was advocating for a change, for an opportunity to protect girls from this,’” he said of the school district.
“Everybody agrees, except for just a few officials and people that just don’t understand the issue,” he added.
According to KATU, Parks wrote to Wagner, calling for competition rules to be “aligned with what the rest of the world competes under,” particularly appearing to reference hormone testing by professional organizations like the International Olympic Committee.
The Oregonian noted that OSAA’s policies are “created through the guidelines that are set by the Oregon Department of Education and the federal government” and are made by its executive board, which consists of representatives from schools across the Beaver State.
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD COACH JOHN PARKS TALKS FIRING AMID PUSH FOR TRANSGENDER ATHLETE LAW CHANGE
John Parks recently joined Riley Gaines to talk about the termination on OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls Podcast.” (OutKick)
Aside from insisting that he aimed to protect girls’ right to fair sports competitions, he argued that his ability to express his opinions to officials should be protected by the First Amendment. He also emphasized that he wants what’s best for everyone involved – including transgender competitors.
“I’m fully supportive of transgender rights and every other aspect,” he said.
In his letter to the OSAA, he called for creating an open division to be more inclusive, give transgender athletes a space to compete where they feel more welcomed and strive for victory without being met with hostility from spectators.
“We can create an open division for the transgender athletes, and I really think what that’s going to do is actually encourage more transgender kids to participate, because they won’t be feeling like, ‘If I go out, I’m going to face the hostility of being booed if I’m competing to my best of my abilities, and it’s an outlet for me to socialize with the other kids on my team… and get this opportunity to be out there without the hostility of having to face female athletes.’ Many transgender athletes recognize they have an advantage and they don’t want to take part because of that,” he told Fox News Digital.
“I think [establishing an open division would] be a very healthy thing,” he said.
Parks coached transgender athletes on his own team and told The Oregonian that he “support[s] them like all other athletes.”
TRANSGENDER HIGH SCHOOL RUNNER IN OREGON HEARS BOOS FROM CROWD AFTER WINNING GIRLS’ 200-METER STATE TITLE
Transgender students are currently allowed to compete under the gender with which they identify. (Fox News)
He also said he had witnessed transgender athletes being booed for winning, adding that it doesn’t need to happen again.
When reached for comment on the termination, Mary Kay Larson, director of communications at Lake Oswego School District, declined to comment in a previous statement, saying, “We do not discuss personnel matters.”
Parks is appealing his termination and told Fox News Digital that the appeal had to be submitted by Wednesday.
“My attorneys are working with me on that,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Parks said he has been relieved to see so many members of the community coming together to support him.
“It’s been empowering to have all my athletes support me, parents support me, and they don’t even know what’s going on fully, but they know that they didn’t witness anything inappropriate, and I know that it’s an issue that they care deeply about and enough that they even set up a GoFundMe, so that’s been empowering. That kind of support.”
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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Montana
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Nevada
Federal lawsuit alleges years of sexual abuse inside Nevada juvenile detention facilities
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Content Warning: This article discusses allegations of sexual abuse involving children and may be difficult for some readers.
A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of 96 former juvenile detainees alleges children were sexually abused inside Nevada’s juvenile justice system over nearly two decades, including at facilities in Clark County.
The 209-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court and obtained by News 3, names Clark County, the State of Nevada and numerous current officials as defendants. It alleges staff members sexually abused children in their custody while systemic failures allowed the abuse to continue.
According to the complaint, the allegations span from 2004 through 2022 and involve multiple juvenile facilities across the state, including the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, Summit View Youth Center, Nevada Youth Training Center, Caliente Youth Center and China Spring Youth Camp.
In a statement to News 3, plaintiffs’ attorney Tim O’Reilly said the lawsuit is ultimately about children who were failed by the very institutions responsible for protecting them.
“This case is about children who were placed in custody and left vulnerable to the very people and institutions responsible for protecting them,” O’Reilly said. “As detailed in the complaint, they were sexually abused, exploited and silenced while confined in Nevada Juvenile Detention Facilities. No child should ever be harmed by adults entrusted with their safety. Our clients are bravely coming forward to seek accountability and justice for abuse that never should have happened. Their courage sends a powerful message to others who have not yet been able to come forward: they are not alone.”
The lawsuit alleges some children were threatened with longer stays in custody, solitary confinement or the loss of privileges if they reported the abuse.
Liz Ortenburger, CEO of SafeNest, said those allegations reflect the unique power imbalance that can exist when adults have authority over children in custody.
“Whether or not you have the power, that youth absolutely believes you have that power to make that happen,” Ortenburger said. “When we create systems of power and control in which vulnerable youth are in a space where they can be assaulted, we have got to make sure we’ve got incredible checks and balances so that those youth are safe.”
One of those safeguards is the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, commonly known as PREA, which establishes standards intended to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse inside correctional facilities.
Signs of Hope is the only organization in Nevada with a full-time PREA advocate who works directly with people reporting sexual abuse while in custody.
“They are able to reach out to their PREA advocate and report what has happened to them and receive resources and support,” Signs of Hope CEO Kim Small said. “She’s able to advocate on their behalf and help with the investigation.”
Small said it’s important for the public to understand that being in custody does not strip someone of their rights.
“There are rights. Inmates have rights, and sexual assault is not part of their healing journey,” Small said.
Ortenburger added that reports involving incarcerated youth deserve to be taken seriously.
“I think there’s a real sort of desire to not want to believe youth, particularly incarcerated youth,” Ortenburger said. “It’s important to believe youth. That does not mean we don’t verify — trust but verify.”
The lawsuit seeks damages, along with future medical and mental health treatment for the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs are also requesting a jury trial, though it could take years before the case reaches trial.
News 3 reached out to Clark County and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services for comment but had not received a response before deadline.
Resources for survivors
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse or domestic violence, confidential help is available 24 hours a day.
SafeNest
- Call or text: 702-646-4981
- Online chat and additional resources: SafeNest.org
Signs of Hope
- 24-hour hotline: 702-366-1640
- Both organizations provide confidential support, advocacy and referrals for survivors throughout Southern Nevada.
New Mexico
New Mexico’s multi-million dollar blunder ends up a pile of rubble
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Some call the multi-million-dollar El Camino Real Heritage Center an architectural masterpiece. Others, however, call it one of New Mexico’s most expensive blunders. In 2021, former Speaker of the House Don Tripp weighed in on the project, “As far as benefit, it really didn’t have any benefit to anybody.”
Taxpayers paid more than $4,000,000 to build it, a few million dollars more to operate it and, now, a half million to tear it down.
The El Camino Real Heritage Center is a history museum dedicated to the historic ‘Royal Road of the Interior’. Established by Spanish conquistadores in 1598, the historic byway extended from Mexico City to north of Santa Fe. Armed with $4,000,000 from the state legislature and the Bureau of Land Management, consultants were hired to find the best place to build the new museum. After studying various locations, they chose a remote spot on the prairie 37 miles south of Socorro.

The experts said, ‘build halfway between Socorro and Truth or Consequences,’ and the museum will draw 100,000 visitors a year, bring in $10,000,000 to the region, and create 174 new jobs. Back in 2004, no one raised a red flag about putting a tourist attraction in an out-of-the-way location. It was only after construction was complete that officials learned the so-called experts were dead wrong. The project was doomed to fail before it even opened its doors. “Who the heck thought it was a good idea to build it where they built it?” State Rep. Gail Armstrong told KRQE News 13 last year.
The state’s newest museum opened in 2005. An estimated crowd of 2000 turned out for the dedication ceremony. Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker was there. “We had Bill Richardson out there cutting the ribbon, and then we had the Vice President of Spain come down here with his beautiful wife, and we had dignitaries everywhere. It was exciting,” Mayor Bhasker said.
But the excitement was short-lived. Where the historic El Camino Real trail was in use for three centuries, the museum with its namesake lasted just eleven years. The remote location meant few visitors, meager revenue, inadequate staffing, expensive utilities, and maintenance.
In 2016, New Mexico’s Cultural Affairs Department pulled the plug on the El Camino Real Heritage Center, padlocked the doors, and permanently closed the museum. The parking lot is deserted, tourists are gone, artifacts are packed away, display cases vacant, exhibits dismantled, interpretive panels removed, and the gift shop is bare. All there is to show for millions of tax dollars is an abandoned building on the prairie.
“Eleven years is disgraceful. There was a real failure in this particular project,” the late State Senator John Arthur Smith said in a 2021 interview. We asked the retired Senate Finance Committee Chair, when the history of this project is written, what will it say? “They’re going to shake their head and (use this as) another example of government waste,” the retired Senator Smith said in 2021.
So what do you do with a $4,000,000 deserted building in the middle of nowhere? Time and vandals have taken a toll. The museum was closed and boarded up in 2016, and then state officials abandoned the site. Because little effort was made to secure the empty building, it is no longer habitable. Copper wiring has been stolen. There is significant structural damage, mold, a rodent infestation, and no electricity or lights. Most of the HVAC, electrical, plumbing, water, and septic systems are either obsolete or inoperable.
Faced with a whopping $3.5 million repair bill, the Museum of New Mexico’s Board of Regents made the difficult decision last year to demolish the building. Board of Regent’s President, Dr. George Goldstein, calls the building, “A loss, a huge loss.”
“What a complete waste of taxpayer dollars,” says State Rep. Gail Armstrong who’s District 49 includes the museum site. And what did taxpayers get for their $4,000,000 investment? “Nothing. It just cost them a ton of money. Nothing,” Representative Armstrong said.
This week, a state-hired demolition crew began the task of tearing down the museum complex. Tons of concrete, steel, and glass will be hauled away. The parking lot and nearby caretaker’s house will also be ripped out. The prairie will be graded, reseeded with native plants, and returned to the Bureau of Land Management in restored, pristine condition. The demolition project is expected to take four months.
The El Camino Real museum was planned and built during the Governor Bill Richardson administration. All of the State Legislators involved in the funding of the museum project have since left government service.
Soon, the El Camino Real International Heritage Center will be just a bitter memory. All clues to the existence of a pricey government blunder will have been erased. Pay a visit to the remote spot south of Socorro later this fall, and all you will find will be desert creosote, prairie dogs, and a few rattlesnakes.
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