Amid a legal battle between Jeffco Public Schools and the federal government, a Department of Justice official spoke at a fundraising gala and decried “crazy stuff” and “nonsense” in the school district.

The gala was for Jeffco Kids First, an advocacy organization focused on Jeffco, and was held Thursday night in Golden. Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the DOJ, was the keynote speaker for the event, which drew roughly 300 people.

During her speech, Dhillon said that “crazy stuff” is going on not only in Jefferson County, but all across the country.

“I’m sorry to say, this crazy stuff and worse is happening all over the United States,” Dhillon said during her speech. “I spent years fighting the kinds of cases that you guys have been dealing with here in Jefferson County, involving evil teachers trying to trans girls at lunchtime behind their mother’s back.”

In an interview with The Denver Gazette, she said that things in Jeffco such as alleged political messaging and sexual abuse cases are creating noise and drama that bring distractions to the classroom, and said the focus on educating kids has been lost.

Dhillon also credited parents for being the early warning system for what is “going wrong in America” and said the DOJ’s work is for the parents.

“We do it because parents like you refuse to accept the nonsense that we’re seeing happening in your county here,” Dhillon said. “We refuse to accept ‘trust us’ as an answer from school boards, or ‘we know better, we’re the experts.’ No, I don’t think so.”

Jeffco Kids First was founded by Lindsay Datko, a mother of four Jeffco students and a former teacher within Denver Public Schools. Datko said she started the organization during the pandemic in response to what she called “egregious restrictions” placed on kids and “controversial topics” being discussed in class, such as pronoun usage and LGBTQ issues.

In the years since, the group has grown and been one of the prominent voices in Jefferson County pushing for improvements in the district as it has faced a myriad of issues, including budget deficits and sexual abuse cases.

Jeffco Public Schools has been in a fight with the federal government over the district’s policies regarding gender identity. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced last year it was opening an investigation into the district after a parent alleged their daughter shared a room with a transgender girl on an overnight school trip.

OCR’s findings, released earlier this year, alleged that 61 male students were competing on female sports teams throughout the district. The federal government also alleged Jeffco’s policies regarding facility access based on gender identity violated federal Title IX regulations, and has repeatedly threatened to revoke over $50 million in funding unless the district changes its policies.

In turn, Jeffco has defended its policies as being in line with Colorado state law, namely the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which broadly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The district also said the 61 male students OCR has pointed to were not student-athletes, but were instead a mix of trainers, team managers and mascots.

Dhillon told The Denver Gazette that school districts cannot hide behind state law when it conflicts with federal law, and likened the situation to desegregation in the Deep South.

“If the United States Supreme Court rules that it’s illegal to subject girls to dangerous circumstances, loss of privacy and lack of educational opportunities under Title IX, I think Colorado law has to fall by the wayside,” Dhillon said.

Jeffco last month filed a federal lawsuit to block the funding revocation threats, and to ask a judge for guidance on what to do when Colorado law conflicts with federal guidelines.

Dhillon hinted during her speech that more school districts across the country may be sued if they have policies that violate federal law.

“If we must, we’re going to sue every district that refuses to comply,” Dhillon said to applause from the crowd. “I think it’s fair to say that by now, every school district in the United States has been put on notice that there is a new principal in town.”