A 14-year-old student-athlete is speaking out Monday after suing her school for being suspended after she raised concerns about a transgender student using the female locker room.
Vermont high school student Blake Allen, her father Travis Allen, and Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Tyson Langhofer joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss the lawsuit and their concerns about how the school handled the incident.
"The school is just failing all of us," Blake told co-host Todd Piro. "I was supposed to be suspended because I wanted to talk about something? That just doesn't seem right."
Blake said she told school officials she was uncomfortable, and after she spoke about the circumstances with a peer, she was suspended. That has since been reversed, however, and she has been allowed to return to class.
Her father, who is a Randolph Union Middle School soccer coach, was also suspended after defending his daughter. His suspension has not been reversed.
"I had no other options," Travis said. "We didn't know what to do… This is why we've gone this route. Because when you're being bullied by the head administration at the school, where else do you turn?"
"They want me to fall in line and do as I'm told," he continued. "And not offer any of my own opinions."
Orange Southwest Unified School District Superintendent Layne Millington accused Travis of misgendering the transgender student on purpose, after he posted on Facebook about his concerns.
"Such conduct is unprofessional and unbecoming, and flies in the face of the Vermont Principal Association’s athletic regulations, Vermont State regulations, and the RUHS Middle-High School expectations," Millington wrote in a letter last week.
Langhofer explained Blake's suspension has been reversed because the school recognized retaliation was not justified because of differing opinions on the locker room.
But he said he remains hopeful the school will "do the right thing" when it comes to Travis.
"We're hoping that they do the right thing with Travis," Langhofer said. "Travis is a great coach and all he did was express an opinion on a really important matter. We need to be able to discuss these issues and share our opinion about these important policies that are affecting our kids."
Travis said because their tax dollars go to Blake's school, they are likely unable to finance another option, but he reiterated the importance of supporting his daughter during the incident.
"If your kids are not comfortable, then you need to speak up for them," Travis said. "That's what we're here for. We're parents. We're here to protect them."
