Eastern WA school district files federal complaint over state policy on trans athletes

An eastern Washington school board is pleading for urgent federal intervention to force the state to comply with the Trump administration’s policy on transgender athletes.

In a complaint filed this week with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the Kennewick School Board said it’s in a bind: Either comply with state law and jeopardize federal funding, or follow President Donald Trump and risk punishment from the state.

“The Kennewick School Board is committed to ensuring the protection of biological female athletics, maintaining ‘all-female’ locker rooms separate from male locker rooms, and prioritizing the privacy rights of our students,” the complaint reads. “However, we find ourselves caught between conflicting directives that threaten not only our federal funding but also the rights and values of the families we serve.”

The board, with 19,000 students enrolled this school year, filed the complaint against the state, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, his office and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association over “open and egregious Title IX violations.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/03/28/eastern-wa-school-district-files-federal-complaint-over-state-policy-on-trans-athletes/