Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit against a school board for allegedly failing to debate a transgender bathroom policy publicly.
Bailey’s lawsuit against the Wentzville, Missouri, school board comes after two new board members, Renee Henke and Jennifer Olson, filed a complaint against the board for not adhering to Missouri’s open meetings law, according to KFVS-12. The debate took place over the summer and considered a new policy allowing transgender students to access bathrooms that align with their gender identity as opposed to their sex as assigned at birth, per the outlet.
Henke and Olson were both elected in April of 2023, KFVS-12 noted. (RELATED: Subpoena Of Transgender Health Group’s Documents Postponed Until 2024 Amid Stonewalling Transparency Efforts)
The debate resulted in no policy changes, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Bailey took to Twitter on Tuesday to make the case for the recently filed suit. “This is in direct violation of Missouri’s Open Meetings Law, which is why my office has filed a lawsuit against the Wentzville School Board for their deliberate secrecy and inability to follow even the most basic open meeting procedures,” he posted.
This is in direct violation of Missouri’s Open Meetings Law, which is why my office has filed a lawsuit against the Wentzville School Board for their deliberate secrecy and inability to follow even the most basic open meeting procedures.
— Andrew Bailey (@AndrewBaileyMO) September 26, 2023
🚨Parents have a right to know who is in the bathroom with their kids.
We filed suit against Wentzville School District’s Board of Education for concealing a transgender student bathroom usage policy in direct violation of Missouri’s Open Meetings Law. pic.twitter.com/Wi84bj4Tft
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) September 26, 2023
The Wentzville School District issued a statement claiming it had not been “served a copy of the lawsuit,” KFVS noted. The statement also explained that the district and the board do not typically comment on active litigation. (RELATED: NYC Private School Recommends Kindergarteners Read About Trans Infants)
“The Board of Education has adopted policies that demonstrate its commitment to Missouri Sunshine Law compliance and strives to faithfully adhere to those policies and the law,” the statement concluded.