School urged students to join 'secret' LGBT club – two girls suffered suicidal thoughts after attending meetings, parents' lawsuit alleges

A Colorado school urged students to join an LGBT club and to keep the group's meetings and activities "secret" from their parents, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the parents of two sixth-grade girls.

The lawsuit, filed by America First Policy Institute and Illumine Legal on behalf of parents Johnathan and Erin Lee and Nick and Linnaea Jurich against Poudre School District, claimed that teachers encouraged their daughters to join Wellington Middle-High School's Genders and Sexualities Alliance art club in May 2021.

Administration staff allegedly instructed the girls to keep the GSA meetings a "secret" from their parents because the club has a "what happens at GSA stays at GSA policy," the suit claimed.

According to the parents' complaint, the GSA club featured a guest speaker, Kimberly Chambers, a teacher who ran Supporting Pride Learning and Social Happenings, an organization that teaches school children about sexuality and gender identity.

During the May 4, 2021, school club meeting, Chambers told students, "If they are not completely comfortable in their bodies, that means that they are transgender," the lawsuit stated. Additionally, the teacher allegedly asked the children to share what sex and gender they are attracted to and provided the students with "LGBTQ paraphernalia such as toys, flags, and other swag" if they "came out" as transgender.

The lawsuit also claimed that Chambers told the children it "might not be safe to tell their parents what happened at the GSA meeting or to talk about transgender issues." Instead, she allegedly encouraged students to discuss the topic with her and provided them with her phone number and Discord information.

According to the Lees, after attending the GSA meetings, their daughter suddenly declared she "would be transitioning — despite never having had any thoughts about transgenderism before the meeting."

After a "months-long emotional decline of gender and sexuality confusion that required counseling and included suicidal thoughts," Lees' daughter no longer wanted to transition.

The Jurichs claimed that the school's art teacher and sponsor of the GSA club, Jenna Riep, "encouraged secrecy, confidentiality, and suspicion" about whether their daughter could confide in her parents about LGBT topics.

After being invited to a meeting, the Jurichs stated that their daughter "began to have her first suicidal thoughts."

According to the couple, their daughter said she was "aromantic" and "asexual" and began questioning her gender identity in the fall of 2021.

The lawsuit stated that the child's mental health "underwent a significant decline," and she attempted suicide by drinking an ounce of bleach. The young girl has since "verbalized that her disturbed emotional state began when she attended GSA at WMS," the complaint read.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Poudre School District Chief Information Officer Madeline Noblett said, "Poudre School District values all students and their right to be supported and welcomed in our buildings. PSD guidelines adopted in January 2023 align with state and federal laws and offer guidance for supporting students in research-backed ways that aim to prevent the discrimination and harassment of transgender and gender non-conforming children."

"PSD is in the process of evaluating the lawsuit," the statement continued. "That said, we believe the district's practices around supporting all students, including those who hold the LGBTQIA+ identity, align with current state and federal law. These guidelines are publicly available on our website. By law, students have the right to be free from discrimination and have access to a safe and inclusive learning environment. ... People will have different opinions about allegations raised in this suit. We hope that everyone can respect the privacy of everyone involved in this case."

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