The frustrated parents of female athletes at Dakota Ridge High School are speaking out over an escalating locker room dispute, demanding answers after district officials placed a transgender player on the girls' junior varsity volleyball roster.

Four Dakota Ridge parents spoke with OutKick this week as tension in the gym turned into open opposition. Following the public outcry sparked by parents like Tanna Donalson, whose daughter and seven other juniors were cut from the volleyball program, outspoken fathers are now stepping forward alongside mothers to challenge state policies that elevate gender identity over female athletics.

Families are pressing Jefferson County Public Schools (Jeffco) for accountability, refusing to back down despite reported retaliation from school and district staff against those who question the policy.

EX-SJSU VOLLEYBALL COACH ALLEGES TRANS PLAYER FAILED TESTOSTERONE TEST, RESULT WAS KEPT 'SECRET' FROM TEAM

The conflict centers on district leadership invoking state non-discrimination guidelines to open female locker rooms to the player, even as coaching staff cut more than 35 female athletes from the program, as OutKick previously reported.

OutKick observed the fallout firsthand during matches against Standley Lake on Monday and Littleton on Wednesday.

Colorado parents challenge Jeffco's leadership

Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado's second-largest school district, has offered only one formal remedy for female athletes who object to sharing facilities: directing them to seek private changing spaces elsewhere in the building.

"The girls' locker room is a sacred space. What’s happening at Dakota Ridge is a slow burn to that sacred space," said Josh, a Dakota Ridge father in attendance at Wednesday's match who went on the record regarding the ongoing issue.

EXCLUSIVE: RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ACCUSED OF HIDING KIDS' GENDER TRANSITIONS FROM PARENTS

"The Jeffco School Interim Superintendent said that they need to respect the privacy of all students. I guess 'all students' aren’t the 50-plus girls on the volleyball teams that use the girls' locker room. Dakota Ridge said they will make accommodations for girls who are uncomfortable in the locker room. That should be the other way around."

Internal emails obtained by OutKick show district leadership anticipated the dispute, quietly preparing weeks in advance while leaving parents and players blindsided when the athlete was placed on the roster without warning.

In an Oct. 6 email to district leadership, Dakota Ridge Athletic Director Jeff Legault warned: "I heard that meetings were held weeks ago to discuss a plan for this scenario, which is unfolding exactly the way it was predicted."

With the JV season ending, parent concerns deepened after coaching staff threatened to bench players overheard discussing the freshman athlete.

"DR staff and the district knew about this issue and kept it a secret. It’s still the elephant in the room," Josh said, noting that a former coach whose daughters played for Dakota Ridge subsequently stepped away from the program.

Josh estimated varsity parents are fractured into three camps: "25% don’t care or somehow think this is a fight against Trump, 50% just want this to go away, and 25% are fighting."

'HEARTBROKEN' WASHINGTON STATE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS NO CONSEQUENCES FOR GIRLS WHO PROTESTED TRANSGENDER RUNNER

Coach Zeman confronted over retaliation threats

Beyond locker room access, parents report a pervasive fear of retaliation.

Matters escalated when head coach Matthew Zeman allegedly threatened two players with benching after they were overheard discussing the situation in a school parking lot. Carey, the mother of one of the varsity athletes, sent a statement to OutKick, confirming details of the confrontation.

"A few weeks ago, my daughter and one of her teammates were told they couldn’t play in a volleyball game, nor could they attend the game after having a private conversation in the parking lot with a few other volleyball teammates about a transgender player they had heard of on the JV team," Carey said.

"After the other parent and I met with the coach and the athletic director, they reversed this, and they allowed them to play in the game, even though they didn’t even have any idea what the girls had said."

Carey said that the threat followed her daughter's earlier concerns regarding locker room arrangements.

"My daughter had also expressed concern about being uncomfortable in the locker room with this player. She was told that they could make accommodations for her, not the other player," Carey said.

"Now, as a parent, my number one concern is safety. Feeling safe and comfortable in a locker room is critical. Not only that, there’s fairness in female sports, and there’s the ability to speak up and talk about your concerns without feeling punished."

Carey, a Dakota Ridge mother who has worked with disabled individuals for over 30 years, emphasized that her concerns stem from basic fairness.

"I know all about inclusion, respect, fairness, and making things work. This situation has become out of hand, and I feel like we have to start asking better questions. We have to start coming up with better solutions while respecting everybody involved," Carey added.

"This isn’t about disrespecting anyone. This is about making it fair for everybody involved: primarily, safety in a girls’ locker room, fairness in sports, and making sure our girls are able to speak up and feel respected."

Josh backed up that account, noting that Zeman accused the players of "bullying" simply for talking amongst themselves, yet failed to cite a single broken rule.

WOMEN WHO FACED BIOLOGICAL MALES IN GIRLS' SPORTS AND LOCKER ROOMS SPEAK OUT AHEAD OF WASHINGTON STATE VOTE

"When the couple of girls were talking about it in the parking lot, the coach found out about that and immediately pulled two of the girls out and was gonna bench them because they were talking, [calling it] bullying," Josh said. "And they asked, 'What did we do wrong?' And he couldn't name anything. And I feel like they were actually bullied by the coach for that. They're just talking amongst friends, as kids do in a parking lot with their varsity teammates."

Both Zeman and Jeffco Public Schools ignored repeated requests for comment. Approached directly inside the gym on Wednesday, Zeman refused to comment on the parents' frustrations.

Following a road match at Standley Lake on Monday, the team returned home Wednesday to face Littleton under heightened security, including an armed guard inside the gym. Parents reported seeing up to three security personnel at recent games.

The cold shoulder from district leadership was unquestioned. Josh watched the interim superintendent visit warmly with the trans athlete's family, then walk straight past the parents of the female players without uttering a word.

"He was there for them," Josh said.

Aaron, a Dakota Ridge parent who spoke on the record about the ongoing dispute, criticized the district's lack of transparency from the start.

"I think it's a little ridiculous how Jeffco is handling the situation. There should not be biological males in the girls' locker rooms. At any school in Jefferson County, Colorado, or the state of Colorado, for that matter," Aaron said. "And for them not to disclose this earlier in the season, it's very disappointing. They waited so long to disclose this information, you know, they put these girls in a very hard situation with not knowing."

When parents pressed for answers through formal channels, Aaron said district attorneys shut down the conversation entirely.

COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS FACED ALLEGED BENCHING THREAT AMID TRANS ATHLETE DISPUTE

"The school really hasn't been communicating very well at all. They've been leaving almost like they're trying to sweep it under the rug," Aaron added. "We had a meeting with Jeffco Legal and they kind of said that they would answer questions and didn't answer any questions at all, didn't give us any time. And they said they'd get back to us and we haven't heard anything since."

Zachary, a Jeffco father of three with a daughter in the district, didn't hold back when texting OutKick about the administration's backward priorities.

"The absurdity of trans girls (boys, in real life) playing on girls' teams is beyond lunacy," Zachary texted. "How did we get here? Why is Jeffco and these other districts so tied up in this fad? We have a mental health crisis and these school districts are manipulating and grooming these children without parental consent."

"What about women’s rights?" he added. "No boys in girls' sports unless they’re co-ed. Period. The government needs to step in and right this ship, ASAP."

And volleyball may be just the start for trans inclusion in Dakota Ridge girls' athletics.

"From what I hear, they are trying out for the basketball team this upcoming season," Aaron said. "I don't know if the coach has handled this yet or not, but from what I hear there are girls that aren't going to play or try out because of it."

With district administrators digging in, parents are taking their case directly to the November ballot. Grassroots momentum has coalesced around Proposition 134 to keep male athletes off female sports rosters, alongside Proposition 135, which would prohibit gender-affirming surgeries on minors.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

It has been an uphill climb from the start, but parents say silence is no longer an option. Regardless of what policies future administrations roll out, these families are speaking up now. By exposing Jeffco’s failure to stand up for female students, they hope to fix a broken system and save girls' sports for their daughters.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

So, you thought this would be an average coaching carousel compared to previous years?

If history is any indication, it only takes one domino to fall in college football for the chaos to begin.

After Maryland decided to fire coach Mike Locksley, we now have three openings in college football (NC State, Baylor) before a weekend slate of games that could trigger further discussions on a number of coaches that are teetering on the edge.

But, as we've all seen over the past year, the financial aspect of making moves in this current climate of college athletics will also play a pivotal role in what this carousel looks like as we head down the final stretch of the regular season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S JERRY JONES? TEXAS TECH BOOSTER CODY CAMPBELL DEMANDS RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Also, the situation in Tallahassee continues to be in flux, with the Florida State administration pleading with fans to show up for the student-athletes, with no mention of head coach Mike Norvell in their statement earlier this week.

There are a number of folks around the Seminoles program that would prefer not paying a reported $50 million buyout, and potentially allocating those funds towards piecing a competitive roster for the 2027 season.

FLORIDA STATE FIRES AD MICHAEL ALFORD, AS MIKE NORVELL’S SEAT REACHES A BOILING POINT IN TALLAHASSEE

Here are two of the more intriguing situations currently taking place across college football, that could lead to a number of dominos falling.

So, let's take a look at where we are, after speaking with multiple sources across the country.

If Lincoln Riley loses to Ohio State this weekend, the temperature will only rise

After losing to Wisconsin last weekend, with a disastrous effort on offense, folks around the USC program are starting to wonder what the future holds for the Trojans head coach that made it clear this week he wants to remain in Los Angeles.

Well sure, a lot of coaches would love to keep their jobs at schools that are described as 'premier' in the sport.

For Lincoln Riley, the ongoing chatter among those within the industry is that if USC were to lose to a backup quarterback from Ohio State on Saturday, the situation could turn very quick.

LINCOLN RILEY ADDRESSES USC FUTURE SPECULATION AHEAD OF HUGE OHIO STATE SHOWDOWN

Remember, athletic director Jen Cohen did not hire Lincoln. As we previously reported on this matter, there have already been questions as to whether Riley could find himself an escape hatch that opens back up in his home state of Texas.

We all know he's a competitor, but leaving USC for a return to the Big 12 at a school like Baylor might not be the worst thing for a head coach who is hanging on by a thread at his current employer. Also, what about a school like TCU, if they were to move on from Sonny Dykes?

The reported $70 million buyout for Lincoln Riley could be mitigated if he were to take another job within college football, so that number could actually drop, though it would be interesting to see by how much.

Yes, the USC head coach can say all of the right things about how much he loves his job, and that he's had opportunities to leave Los Angeles in the past. But, there is a real possibility that if USC were to lose on Saturday night, another two losses could be on the way against Indiana and UCLA.

And, pay attention to what happens if Lincoln were to be fired in regard to who could potentially be a top candidate. There are a lot of folks wondering if Kalen DeBoer would enjoy getting the band back together with his former athletic director, Jen Cohen at USC.

It's a mess at Colorado for the athletic department regarding Deion Sanders

OK, the honeymoon period ended two years ago for Coach Prime in Boulder.

Remember when Deion Sanders dared the media to write the truth about what was taking place at Colorado?

Yea, I don't imagine he thought that one through.

DEION SANDERS DARED THE MEDIA TO WRITE THE TRUTH ABOUT COLORADO FOOTBALL: OK, IT'S TIME TO END THIS CHARADE

It was the 2024 season that gave Colorado fans something to savor, thanks in large part to Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, along with a group of teammates who bought into what Coach Prime was instilling within Boulder.

Then came a 3-9 season in 2025, followed by a squad that is currently 2-5 after additional collapses over the past few weeks.

MAHJONG IS THE NEW TAILGATE GAME TAKING OVER COLLEGE FOOTBALL FOR WOMEN — AND EVEN AT HOME WITH HEAD COACHES

Deion has spent more time getting into arguments with local media over the last two seasons than actually promoting his program. He thought things would go a different way after Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter left, with recruits and portal stars wanting to flock towards Colorado.

What we've seen since has been abysmal. Would athletic director Fernando Lovo be able to garner enough support to justify paying Deion Sanders somewhere around $25 million to go away?

We might find that part out sooner rather than later, especially if the Buffaloes were to lose again this weekend to Kansas State.

The celebrities are no longer showing up and the patience has run out in Boulder.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But, would Deion leave on his own, or force Colorado to pay his buyout while knowing it could become contentious?

There are a number of jobs around college football that could be forced open over the next month, as we enter a potential wild month of November and the end of the regular season.

Stay tuned to OutKick for the latest.

Let me know what you think. Email me your thoughts at Trey.Wallace@Outkick.com

A Colorado mother of three says her family was denied $12,000 in taxpayer-funded preschool benefits because she chose a Catholic education for her children, accusing the state of discriminating against religious families through a program promoted as universal.

Erika Nagle, whose children attend St. Mary Catholic School in Littleton, Colorado, told Fox News Digital that two of her children were denied access to the state's preschool funding program, leaving her family to cover additional education expenses.

"We are being excluded from this benefit because we are Catholic," Nagle said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "And so in a state that preaches inclusion, they are actively going out of their way to exclude a huge chunk of people because of our religious beliefs."

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CATHOLIC PARISH'S CHALLENGE AFTER COLORADO BARRED SCHOOLS FROM UNIVERSAL PRE-K PROGRAM

At the center of the dispute is Colorado's universal preschool program, which Nagle says provides more than $6,000 per eligible child for preschool education. Catholic schools challenging the program argue that the state's participation requirements unfairly burden their religious beliefs and admissions practices.

According to Becket, Colorado launched its preschool funding program in 2023, offering eligible families approximately $6,300 to cover 15 hours of preschool per week. The organization said the program was promoted as a universal benefit that would allow parents to choose among public, private and religious preschools, prompting Catholic families across the state to seek participation.

Nagle says the consequences go beyond her family's finances.

"We have had two preschools in the archdiocese that have been closed down," she said, arguing that the program is affecting Catholic school enrollment and pressuring families to abandon the religious education they want for their children.

ARKANSAS STUDENTS OUTPERFORM NATIONAL AVERAGE AFTER UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE EXPANSION, GOVERNOR SAYS

"The state is dangling a carrot over here, incentivizing people to leave their faith, to abandon the Catholic education that they want," she said.

Nagle argued that nearly every school has admissions criteria tailored to the community it serves, whether that means prioritizing neighborhood children, people who identify as LGBTQ, children with special needs or low-income families. She said St. Mary similarly prioritizes Catholic families while welcoming students whose families are willing to respect the school's religious teachings. Nagle questioned why the Catholic school's admissions practices should be treated differently.

"The state grants $6000 per family to be used during the year before kindergarten, so the year when they're in pre-K, which is technically the year before kindergarten, and you can use it at the school of your choice," Nagle said. "And so Catholics are forced to pay the price for the school of our choice, which is Catholic school. And so you have thousands of Coloradans that are being forced to pay more than anyone else."

The legal battle raises questions about the extent to which religious schools can participate in publicly funded education programs while maintaining faith-based admissions policies.

VERMONT PAYS $566K IN DAMAGES, LEGAL FEES TO CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IT BANNED FROM ALL SPORTS COMPETITIONS FOR YEARS

"Colorado shouldn't force Catholic families to give up their choice, which is a faith-based school, and, you know, the state is letting other schools serve their communities, but they're not letting Catholic families serve their communities," Nagle said. "And to me, it also makes me wonder, is this by design, is this paving the way for godlessness or for what? Why can't Catholic families receive this benefit when there are other schools that were granted their exemption for other admissions requirements?"

The Supreme Court is hearing the case on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) said the department could not comment on pending litigation.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' office for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Two college students who went hiking in Colorado were found dead after they were not seen or heard from for several days.

Deputies discovered the bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, in a mountain basin on West Apostle Mountain, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office confirmed.

Matsuda, of Ridgway, Colorado, and Donlon, of Queensbury, New York, were both students at Colorado Mountain College Leadville campus. Deputies say they left campus for a hike near Ice Mountain Friday, Oct. 23.

CLIMBER DIES IN FATAL FALL ON COLORADO 14ER SOUTH OF ASPEN

Their bodies were found Wednesday after the young men were reported missing by CMC on Monday.

CALIFORNIA COLLEGE WRESTLING STAR RYAN GEORGE DIES AFTER 400-FOOT FALL HIKING IN YOSEMITE

The sheriff's office said their bodies were found near one another, and "foul play is not suspected."

MISSING CANADIAN HIKER FOUND DEAD 2 WEEKS AFTER VANISHING DURING MOUNTAIN TREK IN WASHINGTON

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Investigators shared detailed updates on social media about the mission in which 60 search and rescue volunteers deployed from six different counties and had to brave treacherous trails and deteriorating weather conditions to try and find the men.

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE FOX TRUE CRIME HUB

Deputies were able to come up with a possible timeline for the students' doomed hike.

SEND US A TIP

Timeline

• Friday, Oct. 23: The pair departs campus for Chaffee County during rainy weather.
• Saturday, Oct. 24: Their planned return day if conditions were poor. A heavy snowstorm hit between 1-2 p.m., causing severe local road hazards.
• Sunday, Oct. 25: Their planned return day if they pushed to the summit.
• Monday, Oct. 26: CMC staff officially reported them missing. Deputies located Matsuda’s vehicle at a trailhead near Winfield, Colorado.
• Tuesday, Oct. 27: Aerial crews spotted their collapsed tent near Lake Ann.
• Wednesday, Oct. 28: Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were found dead.

HUSBAND AND WIFE GET TRAPPED IN PREMIER HIKING DESTINATION; ONLY ONE OF THEM MAKES IT OUT ALIVE

GOT A TIP?

In a statement, Sheriff Andy Rohrich said in part, "Our heart aches for Kaden and Jackson’s family and friends. We are very proud of our team’s efforts to find them before this weekend’s coming storm. Although this is a gut punch, our prayers were answered that we would find Kaden and Jackson, allowing some closure for the family."

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

Their remains were sent to the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office for autopsies.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

The investigation into their deaths continues.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to Colorado Mountain College for comment on the tragedy.