Three school districts in Washington now involved in complaints over state mandating transgender policy

Three school districts in Washington are now involved in complaints over the state mandating males to participate in female sports and mandating schools to keep the gender identity of students hidden from parents. Parents Defending Education first reported the Kennewick School District filing an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) complaint against Washington State officials “for policies and practices leading to sex-based discrimination in Washington state schools and student athletics” in March.

The district’s school board explained that the district either had to disobey state policies and risk losing state funding or disobey federal law and lose federal funding. The state had mandated the district to revise its transgender policy so that the gender identity of students would be hidden from parents going forward.

The Mead School District also sent a letter in March to the U.S. Department of Education seeking federal intervention. The state has mandated the school district to revise its transgender policy so that the gender identity of students will be hidden from parents. The state is also mandating the district to allow males to participate in female sports. The district’s school board explained in the letter:

Violating the Executive Orders would, at minimum, jeopardize essential federal funding for our schools. Violation of OSPI’s interpretation of state law would jeopardize essential state funding for our schools.

An OCR complaint was filed against the Tumwater School District in February because of a female high school student reportedly being discriminated against in a basketball game. The girl refused to play a game because the opposing school’s team had a biological male playing. The principal over the girl’s school reportedly told her mother: “Are you telling me that your daughter will never get knocked down or potentially injured by someone bigger, stronger and faster than she is while playing sports?” Now the school district is investigating the student for “misgendering.” An employee of the district also reportedly threatened her younger brother for recording the incident.