Parents in Colorado have risen in protest after the high school volleyball team their daughters play for cut several girls from the roster while a trans player gets ample playing time.
The parents, four to be exact, claim that eight girls from the Dakota Ridge High School team were cut and a trans player was allowed to play. The group is now demanding answers from Jefferson County Public Schools.
According to the parents, one of the girls was an outstanding player who had made the sophomore team as a freshman.
“My daughter played volleyball at Dakota Ridge High School in Colorado’s Jeffco Public Schools during her freshman and sophomore years,” a mother of one of the girls told Fox News Digital. “Being part of that team meant everything to her. This year, about 35 plus girls, including my daughter, didn’t make the team, while a transgender player did. She was crushed, and as her mother, I feel her opportunity was taken from her. This is why Title IX protections in sports are so important for our girls.”
Another parent says her daughter, a setter, worked tirelessly in the offseason and even transferred to Dakota Ridge with the express intent of playing volleyball there, only to be cut.
“For her, this meant losing a season of development, time with her teammates, and something she had built much of her high-school experience around,” the mother said.
However, suspicions that her daughter had truly been “beaten out” for the setter spot, as the coach claimed, were raised when the coach chose the transgender athlete to play setter.
“I cannot establish from the information available to me that my daughter would otherwise have made the team, or that her position change was connected to the other athlete’s placement,” the mother said. “Those are questions I am asking the district to investigate through the eligibility records, tryout evaluations, and coaching communications.”
She added, “Across the country, this issue is discussed as a policy debate. For our family, it is personal: a teenage girl lost the chance to play the sport she loves at her school. We deserve a transparent examination of what happened and whether her rights were protected.”
Another parent went so far as to say the 2026-2027 season should be canceled.
“What makes this especially difficult to accept is that seven junior girls were cut from the team, any one of whom could have earned and held that roster spot,” the parent said. “These girls worked hard, dedicated their time, and put themselves through the tryout process with the expectation that the selection process would be fair and that the same standards would apply to every girl athlete. If it is determined that an ineligible player was permitted to participate, I believe there must be meaningful accountability.
“The program should be disqualified for the 26-27 season, and all the coaches and Athletic Director should be subject to dismissal or other appropriate disciplinary action based on the findings of a thorough investigation,” the parent added. “Allowing a situation like this to stand without consequences sends a troubling message to the girls who were told there was no place for them on the JV team. As parents, we deserve transparency about how this decision was made, what policies were followed, and what steps Jeffco Public Schools will take to ensure that every student-athlete is treated fairly and that eligibility and roster standards are followed.”
The school district confirmed receipt of a Title IX complaint and said it is investigating.
In March, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights found that Jefferson County had violated Title IX by allowing boys to play in girls’ sports.
“OCR concluded that Jefferson County’s policies allowing access to intimate facilities and participation in sports based on ‘gender identity’ discriminates against females by denying them safety, dignity, and equal access to educational programs and activities,” the department said in a March press release. “OCR received athletic rosters from Jefferson County indicating that male students may occupy up to 61 roster positions on girls’ sports teams in the District.”
Colorado voters will have their say soon enough. On November 3, voters will go to the polls where they will be able to vote on the Protect Women and Girls Sports Act, which, if passed, will establish biological sex as the foundation for school athletic teams and prohibit male students from participating on teams designated for female athletes.