TIVERTON, R.I. — A man who identified himself as a Westerly resident told the Tiverton School Committee on Thursday that the district could become the next target of a federal complaint over its transgender student policy unless it changes course.

Speaking during the committee's open forum on Oct. 29, the man said the Rhode Island Department of Education's policy on transgender, gender-nonconforming and transitioning students, in effect since 2017, conflicts with federal laws, including Title IX and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. He said the policy has been "pushed down" to local districts.

"All you people seem to understand is lawsuits and money, and you're going to get both," he told the committee. "One way or another, parental rights and our girls will be respected and protected. Do it the easy way or the hard way."

He said Westerly Public Schools had "just last week" joined North Kingstown and South Kingstown as districts under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The New England Signal could not independently confirm a federal investigation involving Westerly.

The legal group America First Legal filed complaints this year with the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Education against the North Kingstown and South Kingstown school districts, according to reporting by journalist Steve Ahlquist. One complaint argues that district policies directing staff to support students' gender transitions without notifying parents are unlawful, according to that reporting.

The speaker read what he described as the steps America First Legal urged the Justice Department to take regarding Westerly. They included requiring written parental consent before students are subjected to certain analysis or evaluation, giving parents full access to records about a student's name, pronouns and social transition, and requiring that access to sex-segregated facilities be based on biological sex. He said the group also asked for possible enforcement proceedings and termination of federal funding.

He said Smithfield "voted recently to not keep secrets from parents anymore." He urged Tiverton to "get in compliance" or, he said, "I will do my level best to see that this district is next. Not just the district, but this committee as well."

He said he has been coming to speak to the Tiverton committee since 2023. Committee members did not respond to his remarks during the open forum, and the chair moved on to the next speaker.