SPOKANE, Wash. — Federal orders have left Washington school districts in the middle of “a legal dilemma.”
In early February, President Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes. This directly contradicts Washington state law, which bans discrimination based on gender.
As it stands, public schools in Washington are required to allow transgender athletes to participate in the sport that best fits their gender identity.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said in a meeting Thursday that the best way forward is to follow state law.
“We’ve told our school districts lean into state law,” Reykdal said. “State law is what you have to follow. You have an Attorney General’s Office that if something happens to you from the feds that is out of bounds. We have an Attorney General’s Office with the ability to defend and protect our state and our school districts.”
For the Mead School District, however, it has felt like a no win situation.
“With the Title IX expectations, with the federal executive orders, they contradict what we are asked to follow in this policy,” said BrieAnna Gra, Vice President of the Mead School Board. “I think it is important they have that discussion and that we are not stuck in the road of them making these decisions.”
In a letter to the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General, the district says the majority of its community members oppose OSPI’s efforts to in force policy 3211, which outlines the districts approach towards transgender athletes.
District officials in Mead say this has put them in the middle of a culture wars, and at jeopardy of losing both state and federal funding.
WIAA, the organization that sets the ruled for public school sports in Washington, is looking into possibly changing its policies for transgender athletes. It has not yet made a decision.
But Superintendent Reykdal has been adamant that Washington schools let transgender athletes participate in women’s sports.
“Student gender identity. It’s grounded in laws in this state and nondiscrimination laws that make it very clear,” Reykdal said. “Our guidance to school districts is this isn’t actually a legal conflict yet our state laws control, in this case, the president’s executive order does not get to change law.”
Spokane Public Schools and the Cheney School District stated their policies follow the state regulations.
In Mead, district officials feel this is threatening its ability to serve students.
“Our state government is very clear, it’s under local control,” Gra said. “I am really thankful that our federal government is willing to put forth these policies that is willing to protect the parents rights and the rights of our students.”
Right now, the Mead School District is sticking with WIAA regulations while the Moses Lake School District, plan to create its own rules.
Superintendent Reykdal warns that districts ignoring state law in favor of federal mandates could result in legal issues.
