Idaho school’s first-in-nation bathroom settlement could set precedent in other states  

An Idaho school district’s insurance provider is agreeing to pay a $34,000 settlement, marking the first time in the nation a female student has won financial compensation under a state school bathroom law. The landmark case could impact other states.

The lawsuit centers on the Boise School District and a high school student known as “Jane Doe,” who sued after administrators specially allowed a biological male student to use female restrooms as part of a “gender support plan.”

Idaho state law requires public schools to maintain separate bathrooms, locker rooms and changing areas for biological males and females.

The financial settlement establishes precedent for protecting privacy in public schools, according to Caleb Pirc, director of the Idaho Family Policy Center (IFPC).

“Other cases can now look to Idaho as a model for how to do that successfully,” Pirc told Heartlander News. “And then here in Idaho, it also ensures school districts follow the law.”

IFPC President Blaine Conzatti said the outcome signals a shift in the legal landscape.

“Leftist legal advocacy groups have gone unchallenged in this state for decades,” Conzatti said. “It’s time the Boise School District and others are finally held accountable.”

Challenging the federal stay

The district argued a temporary stay from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals excused administrators from enforcing the bathroom statute while federal courts weighed its constitutionality. Ada County District Court Judge Lynn Norton rejected the defense, ruling the stay didn’t give the district a free pass.

“Federal courts don’t have the power to remove statutes from the books,” Pirc said. “They have the power to restrain officials from enforcing the law. And then once those restraints are gone, officials are free to enforce the laws again.”

When the student’s parents complained, administrators stood by their decision and told the girl she could use the campus’s two single-person bathrooms if she felt uncomfortable.

Jane Doe’s father, “John Doe,” thanked the legal team for stepping in when local administrators failed to act.

“Their lack of action forced us to seek help from someone outside the school system,” the father wrote. “No girl should ever have to go through what our daughter experienced. We were so happy to find the IFPC Legal Center. Their hard work helped us get justice, and we can’t thank them enough for their support throughout this case.”

A blueprint for state laws

IFPC researched and drafted the 2023 bathroom legislation, which state Rep. Ted Hill and state Sen. Ben Adams sponsored in the Legislature. Pirc expects other conservative states to adopt similar legislation following the legal victory. 

“States have the ability to protect women and girls in their states, and they should take those opportunities and copy states like Idaho,” Pirc said.

The legal center wants to extend similar protections to private businesses, pointing to a northern Idaho YMCA incident where a woman encountered a male in the women’s shower area. Proposed state legislation would establish a legal duty of care for businesses to maintain separate restrooms.

“Where before it was, ‘Just leave us alone,’ now it’s ‘You have to bake the cake and you have to share the bathroom,’” Pirc said, noting the public is growing weary of the left-wing culture. “That sort of shift, I think, has woken up a lot of people.”