Adaleia Cross says she was harassed in girls locker room

Adaleia Cross told Fox News Digital she was sexually harassed in a girls’ locker room during the 2022-23 school year while she was in eighth grade. Cross and her parents say the contact involved a younger student who is a transgender girl; those allegations are contested publicly by other parties and by the school district, according to reporting.

This article summarizes what Cross said to Fox News Digital, the competing statements from advocacy groups and the Harrison County School District, and how a June 30 Supreme Court decision on girls’ sports intersects with the case.

What Adaleia Cross says

Cross told Fox News Digital that the incident occurred in middle school and that she reported it to school officials. She and her family say the episode had lasting emotional effects and led her to step away from the sport she had played.

Cross described social fallout at school. She told Fox News Digital her homeroom teacher said, “she sees me as less of a person,” and Cross added, “The hardest part of the whole situation for me has been losing friends that I’ve had for years.” She said she will not return to school sports after missing two seasons: “After not participating for two years, I won’t be anywhere near with comparing with the other girls because of the training they have had versus what I haven’t had.”

Responses from ACLU, ADF and the school

The ACLU provided a statement to Fox News Digital saying its client and the student’s mother “deny these allegations” and that the Harrison County School District investigated the report and “found them to be unsubstantiated,” according to the ACLU’s account to Fox.

Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the Cross family, disputed that account in a statement to Fox News Digital. ADF said its client has “sworn under oath and under penalty of perjury in numerous cases about the events” and noted Cross stepped away from athletics because of the situation, framing the outcome differently than the ACLU’s description.

The Cross family told Fox News Digital they received no school reprimand to their knowledge after filing the report and that the district promised a full investigation but did not provide follow-up explaining the outcome. Fox News Digital says it requested documentation and records from the ACLU and the Harrison County School District regarding any investigation and did not receive those materials in response to its specific requests.

Legal context and the Supreme Court ruling

The wider debate around the Cross family’s account comes as legal standards for school sports eligibility are shifting. On June 30 the Supreme Court ruled that schools may base eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports on biological sex, reversing lower-court decisions involving West Virginia and Idaho. The decision narrows how federal courts interpret some Title IX disputes over athletics and has led states and school districts to reassess eligibility policies.

Title IX is the federal law that bars sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. Legal advocates and school districts are interpreting the Supreme Court decision in different ways as they consider eligibility rules, nondiscrimination obligations and safety measures. Those policy debates form the backdrop for how individual allegations and investigations—like the Cross family’s—are discussed and handled.

Local impact and quotes from Cross

Cross described a mixed response at her school. “My high school has been very supportive,” she told Fox News Digital, while also saying “a very small population” has been “extremely vocal” and that threats and hate have made daily life harder.

Her father, Holden Cross, told Fox News Digital, “We received no response from the school after filing the report.” The family said that absence of clear communication contributed to their frustration and led them to seek outside legal help through ADF.

What comes next for the investigation and the student

Key questions remain about what the Harrison County School District documented and whether parents were formally notified of investigation results. Fox News Digital requested records and clarification about the district’s review and whether an investigation was completed; those requests have not been met, according to the outlet’s reporting.

The Cross family says they were not informed of any reprimand for the other student. The ADF statement references sworn testimony but does not attach public documentation in the Fox News report. If the district or advocacy groups release records, they could clarify the sequence of events, the scope of any inquiry and the official findings.

Further legal steps, observers say, would likely depend on documentation from the district or additional filings by the parties involved. Given heightened attention to sports eligibility since the Supreme Court ruling, similar disputes could prompt more formal school-policy reviews or litigation in other jurisdictions.

FAQ

Is the trans athlete named in the story?

No. Fox News Digital did not name the other student because the athlete is a minor.

What did the school investigation find?

The ACLU told Fox News Digital that the Harrison County School District investigated the allegations reported by the family and found them to be unsubstantiated, according to the ACLU’s statement to Fox. The Cross family disputes having received conclusive follow-up from the district and says they received no notice of any reprimand.

How does the Supreme Court ruling affect school sports eligibility?

The June 30 Supreme Court decision allows schools to base girls’ and women’s sports eligibility on biological sex and reversed lower-court rulings in cases involving West Virginia and Idaho. The ruling changes the legal backdrop for eligibility policies and intensifies debate about how Title IX protections should apply in school athletics.

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