A Vermont school allowed a transgender pupil to make ‘death threats’ against another student who complained about them using female changing rooms, a lawsuit claims.
Blake Allen, 14, was suspended from Randolph Union High School after she called a biologically male student, who identifies as a female, a ‘dude’.
Her father Travis was fired from his job as the girls’ soccer coach for also calling the student in question a ‘male’.
The family have launched a lawsuit against the Orange Southwest School District Board, the Superintendent and two co-Principals of the school in Vermont District Court.
According to the lawsuit several members of the team asked them to leave, and they refused, with some telling the coach the player had made an ‘inappropriate remarks.’
The lawsuit alleged that Layne Millington, Superintendent, Lisa Floyd and Caty Sutton, Co-Principals, violated Blake and Travis’ First Amendment rights by attempting to dictate 'what may be said on matters of public concern.'
It also claims that the school turned a blind eye to ‘death threats’ made against Blake by the transgender student, who said after the locker room incident ‘I’m going to f***ing kill Blake Allen’.
They are said to have been selective in their discipline, despite suspending Blake for two days for 'misgendering' the student, then ordering her to take part in a 'reflective circle' where she returned.
That saw equity coordinator Jamie Connor and other students attempt to brainwash Blake into seeing the error of her ways, it is alleged.
Blake Allen, 14, was suspended from Randolph Union High School after she called a biologically male student, who identifies as a female, a ‘dude’
Co-Principals Caty Sutton and Lisa Floyd are both named in the lawsuit against the school in Vermonth
Equity Coordinator Jamie Connor organized a 'restorative circle' for Blake with other students to understand what she had done wrong
The comments were reported to the principals, who deemed the threat to be ‘low risk’, despite a second threat being made during the volleyball team bake sale.
Blake claims that the student, who has been playing on the female volleyball team since the start of the year, came into the locker rooms and ‘stared’ at some of the girls getting changed.
According to the lawsuit the transgender student said ‘I’m gonna f***ing kill somebody. They’re all d***heads’ which was again reported to RUHS athletics director, but no action taken.
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ShareBlake was suspended from school for two days after the incident in September and was forced to take part in a ‘restorative circle’ with Equity Coordinator Jamie Connor and two other students.
She was also told she had to ‘submit a reflective essay’ but faced further suspension if it was deemed to be ‘lacking in good faith’.
The lawsuit claims that Blake was disciplined because of ‘the viewpoints she expressed’ while discussing the incident in French class the next day – without the other pupil present.
The lawsuit alleged that Layne Millington, Superintendent, breached Blake and Travis' First Amendment rights
NEW: @DailySignal spent this week in Randolph, Vermont, speaking to high school girls who face heavy criticism + potential punishment from their school for pushing back against a biological male using their locker room. Here's what these girls have to say for themselves: pic.twitter.com/sMR8jb20Qf
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) October 13, 2022
Blake is accused of saying the student was 'literally a dude' before adding 'he does not belong in the girls' locker room'
Vermont's state law means that students can play sports and use the locker which correspond to the gender with which they identify.
Travis was suspended after defending his daughter and commenting on a social media post relating to the incident.
He said: ‘The truth is your son watched my daughter and multiple other girls change in the locker room. While he got a free show they got violated.’
The mother of the transgender pupil had commented on a Facebook post saying that Blake had ‘made up the story for attention’ before adding that ‘the truth will prevail’.
Several parents complained about the transgender student being allowed into the female changing room
The student, who has been playing on the female volleyball team since the start of the year, allegedly came into the locker rooms and ‘stared’ at some of the girls getting changed
According to the lawsuit the transgender student said ‘I’m gonna f***ing kill somebody. They’re all d***heads’
Both Blake and Travis appeared on the Tucker Carlson show, with Blake confirming that her suspension was lifted shortly after the lawsuit was filed – but it is not clear if the school was aware of it at the time.
Travis told the host: 'I made a social media post that referred to the male student as a male and I was punished because of it. Because I misgendered him.'
Blake added: 'I was in the locker room and the student walked in and there was the rest of the team was in there and I was uncomfortable and I left and I told the school and they just shut me down and said there was nothing they could do.
'I'm glad I spoke out because there's still so much that could be done, that the law could be changed, because now it's national news.
Vermont laws stipulate that transgender students - such as those at Randolph High, pictured, can use whichever facilities align with their gender identity
Travis and Jessica, Blake's parents, have defended her on social media before they lodged the lawsuit against the school
The mother of the trans student hit back at the criticisms online against her daughter, saying that the 'truth will prevail'
‘He had the right to go in, but once we said we were uncomfortable, he should have just left. It should have been that simple.'
'I don't want other girls to have to feel uncomfortable about it. I think everyone should be able to just get changed in a locker room that they were born as.
'If you were born a girl, you can go in the girls' locker room, get out when you're done. It should be simple and it's not anymore.'
The conflict drew the attention of transgender former Olympian Caitlin Jenner, who tweeted ‘Shame on Vermont!’ for allowing ‘biological boys with penises changing next to our daughters in locker rooms, and then have our daughters scolded by the school.’
It is not the first scandal the school have faced, after former co-principal David Barnett was sentenced last year for grooming and molesting a 16-year-old girl.
Barnett was banned from working as an educator, and jailed for a month, after pleading no contest to grooming the girl while he worked as her headteacher.
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