On October 7, the Liberty Justice Center filed a motion urging an Oregon court to reinstate a high school track and field coach who was fired for proposing an open division for transgender athletes to compete in, to ensure fairness for all student athletes.
On July 24, the Liberty Justice Center filed a First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of John Parks, an Oregon track and field coach who has trained athletes at the high school, collegiate, and Olympic levels for over four decades.
In June, the Lake Oswego School District and the Lake Oswego School Board fired Coach Parks from his position as head coach for writing a letter as a private citizen that proposed an open division for transgender athletes in an upcoming track and field state championship. Coach Parks spoke in favor of an open division both to ensure fairness for female athletes and to provide a space for transgender athletes to compete without facing harassment.
In response to his letter, Coach Parks was falsely accused of harassing transgender athletes at recent track meets and summarily fired. The Lake Oswego School District ignored his rejection of the false accusations and denied his request for an appeal.
In its motion for a preliminary injunction, the Liberty Justice Center argues that firing Coach Parks in retaliation for privately writing a letter on a matter of public concern violated his First Amendment right to free speech. The motion asks the court to issue a preliminary injunction to restore Coach Parks to his position and requests both oral argument and an expedited hearing on the case.
Alongside the motion, the Liberty Justice Center also filed multiple declarations signed by parents whose children competed on the Lake Oswego track and field team under Coach Parks last spring. In their declarations, the parents urge the court to issue an order reinstating Coach Parks to his former role as head coach.
“School employees do not lose their constitutional right to free speech when they step onto school grounds,” said Buck Dougherty, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center. “Coach Parks faced unjust and unconstitutional retaliation at the hands of the Lake Oswego School District and School Board. We urge the court to grant a preliminary injunction to uphold his First Amendment rights.”
Parks v. Lake Oswego School District was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division, on July 24, 2024. Salem, Oregon-based attorney Luke Miller served as local counsel for the submission to the Court.
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal filings in Parks v. Lake Oswego School District are available here.