Accuracy in Media: Video shows Dayton school employee helping parents break state law

Accuracy in Media has released a fifth video exposing what it said is Ohio school staff members helping parents break state law.

The video, which the group said shows Dayton Public Schools employees telling an undercover Accuracy in Media investigative journalist how they can circumvent a 2024 state law that bars males from participating in female-only sports. The group’s head questioned whether the Buckeye State’s law is strong enough to deter such behavior.

“They think they could do whatever they’d like and spend our tax dollars pushing whatever agenda they’ve got, and that we have no recourse at all,” Adam Guillette, President of Accuracy in Media, told Ohio.News. “They think they’re beyond reproach. The law means nothing to them. I feel like they’re evangelicals in their mission to push their ideology.”

The video is the fifth such release from Accuracy in Media in Ohio. The group previously released videos featuring school personnel from the Norwood City School District, Three Rivers School District, Princeton City Schools, and Reading High School.

“These problems truly are systemic, as we’ve seen, because we often find this with multiple people in the same school district,” Guillette said. “It’s not the case of one bad apple, per se; it’s the case of a broken system. These districts are far more focused on ideology than on education, and even if you had some noble educators and administrators who didn’t want to focus on ideology, well, the district staff is going to push them in that direction.

“Many of these districts still have equity officers, even if they’ve changed their title,” Guillette added. “We go to some of the reddest of the red states and some red districts. We go to places like Fort Worth ISD, one of 20 school districts in the Fort Worth metropolitan area, and they have a dozen full-time, non-classroom equity staffers getting paid quite well. These are districts now — and these are states, unfortunately, I have to say — far more focused on indoctrination and radical ideologies than they’re actually focused on education. The system is broken.”

Last year, Ohio lawmakers overrode a veto from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to pass House Bill 68, the Save Women’s Sports Act and the Ohio SAFE Act. The measure bars males from competing in female-only sports and prohibits “gender-affirming medical care” for LGBTQ+ youth in Ohio, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

However, DeWine signed Senate Bill 104, the Protect All Students Act, a measure requiring the state’s primary and secondary schools and higher education institutions to designate restrooms for use only by biological males or females.

“It speaks to the arrogance of these people that they think they can so easily break the law and never deal with any consequences,” Guillette said. “And our investigators, they’re not deep undercover for months on end, slowly earning their trust. They’re usually only in these district buildings briefly.

“So if you’re that comfortable bragging to someone about breaking the law when you met them four minutes ago, that speaks to how unaccountable they are, how confident they are, how much they feel like they can get away with,” Guillette added. “Because up until now, they have, and now it becomes incumbent upon these elected officials in these states to actually prove that these folks are going to be held accountable to the law.”

The video involving Princeton High School prompted Attorney General Dave Yost to send a letter to Principal James Stallings. Spokespeople for the state’s top law enforcement official did not respond to a request for comment on the video.

A spokesperson for Dayton Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE: On Friday, Oct. 31, Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence issued a statement in response to the video. The district did not immediately respond to a request to connect and walk through the video to confirm what it contends is disputed.

Dayton Public Schools is aware of a video circulating online that involves an individual claiming to be the relative of a transgender student and an interaction with two district employees.

It appears this video was created through the use of a secret recording conducted without the knowledge or consent of the employees involved. Dayton Public Schools prohibits the recording of staff or students on school property without express permission.

The district takes this matter seriously. Upon reviewing the full context of the interaction, including subsequent communications that occurred, we believe the video has been very selectively edited with key details omitted.

The Athletics Department followed up with the Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) for guidance regarding this situation. On April 24, 2025, the employee shown on camera attempted to share OHSAA policy via email, which indicated that transgender females cannot participate on female sports teams. That email was returned as undeliverable, and subsequent phone calls to the individual were not returned.

Dayton Public Schools follows all applicable state and federal laws regarding athletics participation and student privacy. The district is committed to ensuring that every student is treated with dignity and respect, while also maintaining compliance with Ohio law and OHSAA regulations.