Tomorrow River board adopts updated Title IX policies despite public opposition

The Tomorrow River School District Board of Education voted to adopt updated Neola School Board policies 2264 and 2266, aligning district procedures with recent federal Title IX guidance while acknowledging continuing legal uncertainty.

An administrator who led the discussion recommended adoption to ensure the district remains compliant and protected from potential lawsuits and funding loss. "My recommendation is that we adopt the Title IX updates so that we are compliant with federal law, that we maintain our funding, and we protect the district from litigation," the administrator said.

The administration explained that the new federal rules revise definitions and the complaint-handling process, which will change how districts investigate and adjudicate Title IX complaints. The administrative team has begun required training; the presenter said initial compliance training has occurred and additional sessions are scheduled in August to meet an August 1 compliance timeline imposed by the federal guidance.

Board members debated the policy's practical effects and legal stability. Some members said the changes are largely procedural—creating a single accountable investigator/decision-maker and clarifying complaint timelines—while others worried the district would have to adopt rules before all training materials and final guidance are available. "You have to pass it to find out what's in it," one board member observed of the timing.

Administrators told the board that Tomorrow River Schools are not listed in a recent preliminary injunction filed in Kansas and that the district will continue to follow Wisconsin's existing transgender participation policy for athletics in the meantime. The presenter cited existing Wisconsin case law (Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District) as an example of state precedent that remains in effect.

During public comment, parent Kayla Pessoa urged the board to reject implementation, saying she feared harm to students' privacy and character. "Keeping Title IX out of our schools so that privacy and respect of ourselves and others can remain," she told the board.

After discussion, a board member moved to adopt the revised Neola policies 2264 and 2266; a colleague seconded the motion. The motion passed. One board member recorded a no vote during the roll call: the presiding officer stated, "I'm gonna say nay," and the clerk recorded one no vote; the board member did not reverse the motion and the policy was declared passed.

Board members and administrators said next steps include completing required training and monitoring ongoing court decisions and federal guidance. The administration also said it will keep the district's prior policy framework available for complaints predating the federal changes so investigations can proceed under the rules that applied at the time of any alleged incident.