Like all good parents, Cody Grace’s primary goal in life is to keep his twin daughters safe. But over the past year, Grace has faced an uphill battle to ensure the safety of his teenage daughters, Ashlyn and Madalyn, at their South Dakota high school. 

In 2023, Madalyn and Ashlyn, who were sophomores at the time, told their father that a trans-identifying male student was using the girls’ bathroom at Huron High School. 

“I didn’t quite understand, but I told the girls that if there was ever an issue or if they felt uncomfortable to come talk to me, and we would go talk to the school about it. I didn’t feel it was right,” Grace told IW Features. 

That day came shortly thereafter, when one of the girls’ friends confided in Madalyn that she had tried to use the female restroom at school and was scared after coming face to face with the teenage male. Madalyn went straight to Huron High’s principal’s office, where administrators attempted to dissuade her from filing a complaint form. 

“They said they couldn’t do anything about it, or the transgender student could sue the school for up to $4 million,” Madalyn recounted. 

Grace realized he needed to step in, so he elevated his daughters’ concern to the school district’s superintendent, Kraig Steinhoff. Thus began a pass-the-potato game of accountability between the school’s administration and the school board, with Grace and his daughters caught in the middle, looking for answers. 

In October, Grace and his daughters filed a complaint against Principal Mike Radke. The following month, the school board held a hearing on it. Grace said it was clear that the school board’s decision was predetermined – and not in favor of keeping teenage girls safe at school. 

“We weren’t allowed to bring up the law or the reason that Title IX exists for the girls to have their own space,” Grace said. “Any time we brought that up we were told we couldn’t argue about that during the process, but then they made their decision, and everything was about the law. They said the trans student has Title IX rights, so they were allowed to use the bathroom, and that this person has rights and [my daughter’s] feelings didn’t matter. It didn’t matter if she didn’t feel safe or comfortable in the restroom.”

The school board allegedly informed Ashlyn, Madalyn, and any other females who felt uncomfortable sharing the bathroom with a biological male that they could use the one family restroom within the school. But the family restroom was frequently locked for extended periods of time, with no alternative provided, according to the girls.

Neither the district superintendent’s office nor Grace’s local school board responded to requests for comment.

Despite the controversy, Huron High School still has not implemented an official school policy on the issue, leaving many students and parents confused and in the dark. 

For Grace, the lack of transparency is one of the biggest problems. 

“I suggested that he [the male student] use the family restroom to give him more time or that they should make it a school policy that they’re going to allow a trans kid in the girls’ restroom just so us parents know about it. There were so many parents who had no idea that this was going on – if their kids aren’t coming home telling them about it, they don’t know,” Grace said. 

As the girls continued to suffer at school – often feeling sick after fear kept them from using the restroom during an eight-hour school day – Grace continued to advocate for his daughters and the other female students. He said he called the South Dakota Attorney General’s office and then-Gov. Kristi Noem’s office, and though he said Gov. Noem’s office privately told Grace they were on his side, no offers of public support or pressure were made.

Officials in the South Dakota governor and attorney general’s offices did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

The silence from top officials echoed what Grace and his daughters were experiencing in their own community. Despite private sentiments of support – and shared fear from the twins’ friends – few in the town voiced their public support. Only one school board member aligned with the Grace family, he said. And when new school board members took office this year, they weren’t even aware of the issue, according to Grace. 

Still, Grace and his daughters have continued to fight, filing a suit against the Huron School Board and its members in August 2024. And while their suit – and subsequent appeal – weren’t victorious, they remain committed to sharing their story and advocating for the safety of girls in Huron High School. 

“I just want to feel safe in my school – for my friends to be safe,” Madalyn said.