COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (AP) -- A Colorado school district is refusing to agree to mediation with the family of a transgender girl who wants to return to school.
Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 officials are refusing to comment on a complaint filed by the New York-based Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. The complaint was filed on behalf of Kathryn and Jeremy Mathis, claiming that 6-year-old Coy Mathis has been discriminated against. The district has until March 17 to respond to the commission complaint.
The child is being home-schooled this semester after been denied access to the girls' bathroom at Eagleside Elementary School.
According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, school district officials did not return phone calls Thursday requesting comment.
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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com
Statement from District 8
"In a press release issued yesterday, GLAAD, the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) claimed that the Fountain-Fort Carson School District had "refused mediation" of the discrimination charge filed by the parents of Coy Mathis with the Colorado Division of Civil Rights, and that this refusal has "denied the Mathis family a chance to speak with school officials to try and come to a resolution."
"The District again regrets that the family and its attorney chose to discuss in the media a sensitive matter currently under the review and jurisdiction of the Colorado Division of Civil Rights. The District will timely submit its Response to the charge filed by the parents which will disclose that the parents declined to meet with District officials when invited to do so in December 2012. The Response will include its explanation as to why the District believed mediation would be unproductive in light of the parents’ refusal to meet, as well as their unwillingness to consider reasonable proposals offered by the District. The parents consistently indicated to the District that they would file a discrimination charge if the District did not completely acquiesce to their demands, and since they have decided to pursue this course of action, the District continues to believe the proper forum to discuss this matter is in the Colorado Division of Civil Rights process initiated by the parents."
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