Paso Robles School Board Members Condemn Colleague Over Transgender Policy Statements

Two Paso Robles school board trustees have publicly criticized a fellow board member for what they describe as “fearmongering and misinformation” regarding transgender student policies, claiming the actions could expose the district to costly litigation while endangering vulnerable students.

In a strongly worded statement, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees President Jim Cogan and trustee Joel Peterson accused their unnamed colleague of manufacturing controversy over transgender student rights to gain political attention, potentially at taxpayers’ expense.

“In an effort to win personal political points, he is bringing a national debate over the rights of transgender students into board meetings, all the time inventing a problem and promising solutions that he knows are not possible,” the trustees wrote.

The controversy centers on California’s legal protections for transgender students, which include provisions for facility access and athletic participation. According to Cogan and Peterson, their colleague has encouraged advocates to sue the district over these policies, despite being aware that such actions would violate state law.

“He is encouraging advocates on both sides of the national debate to sue the school district in direct violation of his fiduciary responsibilities,” they stated. “Every dollar spent on lawyers defending the District is a dollar not spent educating our students.”

The trustees emphasized that the district must follow California law, as failure to comply could result in lost state funding, discrimination lawsuits, and personal liability for board members and administrators. California provides the majority of school funding in the state, making compliance with its regulations a financial necessity for districts.

In addressing practical concerns about student privacy, the board members noted that the district’s locker rooms include private stalls available to any student who desires privacy. They also stressed that transgender students constitute “a tiny fraction” of the student body, countering what they characterized as exaggerated claims about widespread privacy issues.

“Our trained staff continue to monitor this issue carefully while ensuring that every student is respected and safe,” they wrote.

The statement takes particular issue with the unnamed trustee’s social media behavior, which reportedly includes “personal attacks that target some of our most vulnerable students.” The board members claim their colleague is the only trustee without children currently enrolled in district schools, suggesting he faces no personal consequences for his actions.

“It’s all about personal political gain for him no matter how many Paso students and families his behavior hurts,” they wrote. “Our duty as trustees is to protect students and safeguard the district’s future—not to chase headlines or personal gain.”

The dispute highlights the increasingly contentious national debate over transgender student rights that has worked its way into local school board politics across the country. Similar controversies have erupted in numerous districts as school officials navigate between state regulations, federal interpretations, local sentiment, and individual privacy concerns.

Education policy experts note that school districts often find themselves caught between competing legal frameworks on transgender issues, with some states passing restrictive legislation while others, like California, have implemented expansive protections.

The Paso Robles situation also reflects a growing trend of intensely politicized school board meetings nationwide, where national cultural issues sometimes overshadow traditional local education concerns like curriculum, budgets, and staffing.

Neither the statement nor the accompanying editor’s note identified the board member being criticized, and it remains unclear if the accused trustee plans to respond publicly to these allegations.