The family said Thursday that after they were notified of their daughter's attempted suicide, she was taken by police to a nearby hospital for mental health treatment.
Perez said they had limited contact with her and 'were not able to comfort her' during that hard time. About a week later, she was later released into their and is receiving proper treatment by medical professionals. He said his daughter is 'fragile' but 'happy.'
The family and their counsel also claim that the 12-year-old girl had not exhibited any signs of mental health crisis prior to the alleged meetings with Washington.
'Unlike many other parents we’re hearing from, this child did not have a history of mental health issues. There were not other signs of gender dysphoria before this, there was not depression, anxiety. This was generally speaking, a mentally healthy, happy, child,' Broyles told DailyMail.com on Thursday.
'One of the things that's so distressing and makes so clear the school’s liability and fault here is they took a healthy child and after months of meeting with her, in secret, they caused her distressed and in conflict with herself that she felt the desire to end her life.'
Broyles said the suit is asking for 'declaratory judgement that the school's actions were unlawful' and 'injunctive relief to change the practices and policies' so that parents will be contacted about an issues pertaining to their child's well-being or mental health.
She notes that school officials are 'not competent or authorized' to make decisions about a child's wellbeing and 'it is imperative for them to immediately involve the parents'.
Perez, who is Catholic, also alleges the school violated their fundamental rights 'by intentionally and recklessly withholding information' about their daughter's gender identity based upon the child's 'alleged “confidentiality rights.”'
The father said the situation was a 'nightmare' and accused Washington of citing his religious beliefs as the reason his daughter did not want her parents to know about her alleged identity crisis.
'I took offense because that had nothing to do with it,' Perez told the
Action News Jax. 'I mean I don't even know if she understands our faith. That demonstrated she was ignorant about it. Our faith is one of unconditional love for our children.'
Broyles, speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday, echoed those claims and accused the school of keeping the Perez family in the dark because the beliefs they were instilling in the child contradicted that of the family and their faith.
'They were seeking to substitute their belief system - to endorse a child in an identity different to biological reality, how this child was created - that’s a belief system and its an ideological belief system,' she said.
'In effect the school was submitting and contradicting the beliefs and values and faith that these parents were seeking to instill in their child. Which they have the right to.'
She also argued Perez's daughter is not legally entitled to confidentiality, as the school counselor reportedly claimed.
However, a Jacksonville-based counselor told Action News Jax earlier this week that a child's confidentiality is protected until that individuals 'presents a danger of harming themselves or others.' At that point, parents or guardians must be notified.
