Students were allegedly told that their teacher would be undergoing a gender transition from male to female from a 'scripted statement' drafted by officials
A Wisconsin school district is being sued after a teacher allegedly announced change of pronouns and gender transition without parental consent.
In June, Eau Claire Area School District [ECASD] students were allegedly "required" to report to a classroom where they found their orchestra teacher Jacob Puccio, a school counselor, and the ECASD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion director Dang Yang.
Students were allegedly told that Puccio would be undergoing a gender transition from male to female from a "scripted statement" that was read to several classrooms of elementary and high school music students throughout ECASD.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) alleges that the statement was crafted by ECASD to "ensure that students received information in a particular way." Furthermore, WILL claims that parents are still not aware of what was read to students and want to know the details.
Eau Claire Area School District students were allegedly told that their teacher would be undergoing a gender transition from male to female from a "scripted statement" that was read to several classrooms of elementary and high school music students. (Francesco Fotia/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
When Leah Buchman, a parent of two in middle school orchestra and high school band at ECASD, submitted a public records request on June 12th to obtain the statement that was read to students, it was allegedly denied with the district's attorney claiming that the "document could not be disclosed because an investigation was underway into whether any employee acted improperly with respect to the June 6 events."
WILL stated that the ECASD "has not disclosed when any investigation started."
Buchman also asked Joe McCausland, the Eau Claire North Director of Bands, about the statement that was read to students via email.
According to an email obtained by Fox News Digital, McCausland responded saying, "I briefly talked with and forwarded your email on to Dang Yang (the ECASD Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion); the district specified that the script I read on Monday needed to be a verbal presentation only and was not to be shared electronically. He should give you the info you need, but let me know if you need anything else. Thanks - [redacted] had a fantastic first year here in band, hope you all enjoy your summer!"
Leah Buchman, a parent of two in middle school orchestra and high school band at ECASD, asked Joe McCausland, the Eau Claire North Director of Bands, about the statement via email. (Fox News Digital)
After Buchman’s effort, WILL filed a public records request on June 23rd asking for the statement that was read to the high school band class.
Buchman and WILL are claiming the school allegedly "refused" to provide a copy of the statement that ECASD officials "acknowledged" was read to students.
"Parents from the Eau Claire Area School District are simply asking what was read to their children, and they have so far been kept in the dark," a press release from WILL stated. "Both WILL and our client requested a copy of the script read to students under our state open records law."
A press release alleges that on June 5th, 2023 Eau Claire Area School District [ECASD] students were "required" to report to an orchestra classroom where they learned their teacher was undergoing a gender transition. (Fox News Digital)
The complaint filed by WILL states that a Wisconsin statute requires that public entities comply with their duties "as soon as practicable and without delay" and that "no justification exists" for withholding the statement that was read to students.
"The District withheld the requested record despite it's not being subject to any statutory or common-law exemption to the public records law. The District is therefore required by law to produce the record," the complaint states.
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ECASD released the following statement to Fox News Digital.
"After the events of June 5 and the inquiries received from certain parents, it was decided that there should be a formal investigation of the events of that day (and the planning that preceded that day) to determine if there were any missteps under school district policy," the statement reads. "With the summer season upon us, the investigation has encountered some issues with witness/employee availability. Work on the investigation is ongoing."
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
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