On November 22, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon will hold a hearing in a lawsuit against the Lake Oswego School District brought by John Parks, a track and field coach who was fired for proposing an open division for transgender high school athletes to compete in, to ensure fairness for all student athletes.
Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Buck Dougherty will urge the court to grant a preliminary injunction to reinstate Coach John Parks while his case is pending. The lawsuit, Parks v. Lake Oswego School District, argues that Parks’ firing violated his constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
At the hearing, the court will also consider the school district’s attempt to strike from the record declarations submitted in support of Coach Parks by ten parents whose children competed on the Lake Oswego track and field team under Coach Parks last spring. The declarations support Coach Parks’ argument that his proposal caused no disruption to the team that could warrant his termination.
WHO: Buck Dougherty, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center
WHEN: 10 a.m. PST, Friday, November 22, 2024
WHERE: Courtroom 15B
Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse
1000 SW 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
HOW: The hearing is open to the press and public.
ISSUE BACKGROUND: On July 24, the Liberty Justice Center filed a First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of Coach John Parks, an Oregon track and field coach who was fired for privately writing a letter suggesting the adoption of an open division for transgender athletes. He proposed an open division to ensure fairness for all student athletes, create a place for transgender athletes to compete without facing harassment, and bring Oregon into alignment with international athletic organizations’ rules of competition.
In response to this letter, Parks was falsely accused of violating his school district’s harassment policy and discriminating against transgender athletes at track meets. The school district and board ignored Parks’ rejection of these false accusations, denied his request for an appeal, and fired him from his position as track and field coach.
The Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit argues that the district and board fired him in retaliation for writing the letter—thereby violating his constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal filings in Parks v. Lake Oswego School District are available here.