US News
Massachusetts parents file Title IX complaint over school bathroom policy after reported incident
A district investigation concluded staff acted legally, but the family pulled their daughter from the school and seeks federal intervention.
The short version
- A Massachusetts family filed a federal Title IX complaint against the Old Rochester Regional School District after alleging a transgender female student entered their 9-year-old daughter's bathroom stall.
- The parents removed their daughter from Rochester Memorial School for the upcoming academic year and are urging federal officials to investigate.
- School Superintendent Michael Nelson stated that an independent Title IX investigation found school personnel acted in compliance with state laws and educational policies regarding gender identity.
Key facts
- Luis Rivera filed a federal Title IX complaint in May against the Old Rochester Regional School District, alleging his 9-year-old daughter experienced sex-based harassment when a transgender classmate entered her bathroom stall.[Fox News]
- The family retained attorney Sam Whiting of the Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center to push for a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.[Fox News]
- Rivera and his wife decided to withdraw their daughter from Rochester Memorial School for the upcoming school year.[Fox News]
- Superintendent Michael Nelson stated that a Title IX investigation conducted by an independent decision maker concluded district staff acted in compliance with state laws and state education policies.[Fox News]
- Massachusetts state guidelines and non-discrimination statutes state that transgender students should have access to facilities, including restrooms, aligned with their gender identity.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- Whether the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will open a formal investigation into the Title IX complaint remains unknown.[Fox News]