Doe v. Boyertown Area School District

What's at stake

Protecting the privacy, safety, and dignity of all students.

Summary

Without informing students or their parents, the Boyertown Area School District in Pennsylvania changed its policy to allow students who identify with the opposite sex to access opposite-sex privacy facilities. In October 2016, Joel Doe was changing for gym in the boys’ locker room, and noticed a female student (who identifies as a male) also changing in the locker room. Both students were in a state of undress. When Doe reported the incident to his assistant principal, he was told to “tolerate it” and “make it as natural as possible." Subsequently, Alexis Lightcap encountered a boy washing his hands in the girls’ bathroom. She, too, reported the incident, but the school administration took no action.

On November 19, 2018, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing these Pennsylvania students and their parents, along with Independence Law Center, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case. Unfortunately, the High Court declined to hear the case for now, sending it back to the trial court for additional proceedings.

Our role in this case

ADF attorneys are co-counsel in the case.

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