The Boise School District has agreed to pay $34,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a high school student who encountered a biological male in the girls’ restroom. The Idaho Family Policy Center Legal Center announced the settlement on September 15, 2026, marking the first legal resolution under Idaho’s school bathroom privacy law.
Lawsuit Challenges District Restroom Policy
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, sued the district after her father, John Doe, reported that she encountered a male student in the female bathroom twice at Boise High School last year. According to John Doe, school staff informed him that district policy allowed males identifying as female to use the bathroom of their choice.
“No girl should ever have to go through what our daughter experienced,” John Doe said regarding the incidents.
The Boise School District had granted the male student permission to use girls’ restrooms as part of a “gender support plan.” The district’s insurance company paid the $34,000 settlement, which covered both damages and attorney fees for the family.
Court Rejects Stay Defense
The legal battle began earlier in 2026 when Ada County District Court Judge Norton denied the Boise School District’s motion to dismiss the case. The district admitted it could have changed its policy to comply with state law but argued that a temporary stay from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked enforcement.
Judge Norton ruled that the district could not use the stay to justify violating the law, especially after the Ninth Circuit upheld the statute. This decision cleared the path for the settlement.
The Idaho school bathroom law, sponsored in 2023 by Rep. Ted Hill (R-Eagle) and Sen. Ben Adams (R-Nampa), requires public schools to maintain separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing areas for biological males and females. The legislation was researched and drafted by the Idaho Family Policy Center.
First Case Under State Law
Caleb Pirc, director of the IFPC Legal Center, stated that this is the first lawsuit brought under the Idaho school bathroom law. He noted it may also be the first case in the nation successfully brought by a female victim encountering a biological male in her school bathroom.
“Men don’t belong in restrooms designated for girls—period,” Pirc said.
The settlement underscores the growing legal scrutiny surrounding gender-neutral restroom policies in Idaho schools. As other districts review their own facilities and privacy protections, this case sets a precedent for how state laws are enforced when federal appeals create temporary confusion.
For more on recent legal developments affecting Idaho families, see Idaho High Court Orders Rewrite of Proposition 1 Ballot Language and Federal Judge Limits Abortion Protections to Single Boise Doctor in Revised Ruling.