# Dakota Ridge Parents Say the District Planned Ahead for a Transgender Volleyball Player, and One Alleges a Benching Threat Over Parking-Lot Talk

OutKick, on Fox News, quotes parents and an Oct. 6 email in which the athletic director said the situation was unfolding 'exactly the way it was predicted.' Jeffco Public Schools and the coach did not respond. These are parents' accounts.

- Section: [Culture](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/culture/)
- Published: 2026-10-30
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/dakota-ridge-parents-speak-out-jeffco-locker-room-volleyball-emails-coach-bench-threat-outkick-fox-news/

Parents at a Colorado high school say the dispute over a transgender volleyball player is getting worse and that nobody in charge will answer questions, OutKick reports on Fox News.

The background. Dakota Ridge High School in Jefferson County Public Schools placed a transgender player on the girls' junior varsity roster, and the school cut more than 35 female athletes from the program, OutKick says. The district has cited state non-discrimination guidelines in opening girls' locker rooms to the player. Its only formal remedy for objecting girls, OutKick says, is to direct them to private changing spaces elsewhere in the building. We did not name the student in our earlier story and do not here.

The emails. OutKick says internal emails show district leaders prepared for weeks. In an Oct. 6 email to district leaders, Athletic Director Jeff Legault wrote: "I heard that meetings were held weeks ago to discuss a plan for this scenario, which is unfolding exactly the way it was predicted."

The parents. Four parents spoke to OutKick. One father, Josh, said: "The girls' locker room is a sacred space." He said parents are split about 25% fighting, 50% who want it to go away, and 25% who "don't care or somehow think this is a fight against Trump." Aaron said a meeting with district lawyers produced no answers, and that the district waited too long to disclose the placement. A mother, Carey, said her daughter and a teammate were told they could not play or attend a game after talking privately in a parking lot about a transgender player on the JV team. She said the decision was reversed after she and another parent met with the coach and athletic director.

The coach and district. OutKick says head coach Matthew Zeman accused the players of "bullying" without naming a broken rule. Zeman and the district ignored repeated requests for comment, and Zeman declined to comment in the gym. OutKick reports heightened security at recent home games, with up to three security personnel.

Note for readers: these are accounts from parents, and OutKick publishes no response from the district, the coach or the student's family. Minors are involved. Our earlier video item on the same dispute is on the site.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News (OutKick)](https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/colorado-parents-refuse-stay-silent-school-allegedly-targets-girls-trans-athlete-locker-room)