Ben Engelhart, New Richmond School Board member, said the superintendent and principals permit biological males in girls’ bathrooms after he verified student complaints with his children, amid parent calls for policy changes at a meeting deferred by procedures.
“All I know at this point is that the superintendent and principals are allowing biological males in the school bathrooms,” said Engelhart. “I do not know about the locker rooms yet. I will find out. From the comments made last night, it sure sounded like the board president was aware that this was occurring while the rest of the board was not. Needless to say, I was shocked to hear these allegations.”
At a January 29 board meeting, Engelhart attempted to add discussion of restroom access policies to the agenda but did not receive support from other members. The board president interrupted speakers during public comment, cited privacy laws, and affirmed compliance with federal guidelines regarding transgender accommodations.Â
Other Wisconsin districts have reportedly experienced incidents related to gender identity and facility access. In Racine Unified School District, a 64-year-old individual with sex crime charges accessed girls’ locker rooms. At Westosha Central High School, girls were penalized for refusing to undress near a transgender male student, leading to a parental civil rights complaint. In Sun Prairie, an 18-year-old biological male exposed himself in a female shower area; these cases prompted inquiries from legal organizations as reported by Just the News.
In August 2024, New Richmond’s Board of Education voted 5-1 to table updates expanding Title IX protections to gender identity under Biden administration regulations after residents expressed concerns about student safety and due process. The Supreme Court declined to enforce those changes. The district maintains a policy prohibiting harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation in accordance with state law according to Hudson Star Observer.
Recent federal actions have also affected local policy debates. President Trump’s January 2025 executive order recognized only biological sexes under federal law and rescinded previous Title IX guidance on gender identity issues. This led courts including the Seventh Circuit to reconsider prior rulings upholding transgender students’ bathroom access in Wisconsin schools as detailed by Franczek. Engelhart has served on the New Richmond School Board since April 2024; his term runs through 2027 according to district records.
