Clark County School Board trustees Lorena Biassotti and Lydia Dominguez filed a lawsuit Monday against the district, the board, and its president, Emily Stevens. The complaint, filed in District Court, argues that two governance policies adopted in April unconstitutionally restrict the free speech of board members.
The dispute originated from an Aug. 13 meeting where Biassotti wore a shirt from XX-XY Athletics, a brand that advocates against allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. The lawsuit states Biassotti wore the shirt to reflect her sincerely held religious beliefs. Two weeks later, Stevens issued a formal reminder for Biassotti to follow board rules and removed her as the district's representative to the Council of the Great City Schools.
The lawsuit targets Governance Policies GP-2 and GP-3. The plaintiffs allege GP-2 creates an unfair disciplinary process, while GP-3 effectively gags trustees from criticizing the district, staff, other trustees, or board decisions. Both Biassotti and Dominguez voted against the full slate of policies in April after failing to exclude GP-3.
During the Aug. 27 meeting, Stevens said Biassotti's social media post featuring the shirt violated policies protecting students with diverse gender expressions. Late in the session, Biassotti and Dominguez stepped down from the dais to address the board as public commenters, warning of the impending lawsuit. Biassotti said she intends to crowdfund legal costs to avoid burdening the district.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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