This Tri-Cities school board plans to weigh in on the transgender athlete debate
The Kennewick School Board will step into the debate of whether or not transgender students should be allowed to play the sports they want.
The board will consider a resolution this week that states “biological males should not participate in biological females’ sports” and that sex is “an immutable characteristic that cannot be changed.”
Resolution No. 10 aims to weigh in on proposed changes to Title IX, the federal law passed more than five decades ago in an attempt to end sex-based discrimination in school and colleges.
The U.S. Department of Education under the Biden Administration is planning to expand the law to include protections for LGBTQ+ students, including barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Those new rules are set to go into effect in August.
While the federal change doesn’t explicitly spell out protections for transgender athletes, opponents are rallying over a fear it may “open the door” to forcing schools to allow those athletes to participate in sports and on teams that align with their gender identity, according to the AP.
“The Kennewick School District Board of Directors strongly supports fairness in competition and student safety; and, be it further resolved, that the Kennewick School District Board of Directors strongly affirms that ‘sex’ is defined as biological male or female as determined at birth, and is an immutable characteristic that cannot be changed, fluid or altered,” the resolution reads.
The board also argues “inherent biological differences and abilities exist between biological males and biological females” and that it is committed to “protecting female sports.”
Kennewick’s resolution is not binding, and likely won’t have any impact on transgender or intersex athletes currently participating in sports at Kamiakin, Kennewick or Southridge high schools — if there are any at all. It serves more as a united opinion of the board, reflecting the view of the governing body.
The state’s premiere authority on high school sports and regulations, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, or WIAA — of which Kennewick is a registered member of — has prohibited the discrimination of student-athletes based on their preferred gender identity for the last two decades now.
But Kennewick’s school board argues in its resolution that Washington state law delegates them authority to “control, supervise and regulate” the conduct of inter-school athletic activities and extracurriculars.
The debate over gender expression in sports has been a hot topic across the country in recent years.
Weeks ago, an East Valley High School junior became the first transgender athlete to win a state high school track meet ever in Washington. Veronica Garcia’s winning performance in the state 2A girls 400-meter dash drew both stark opposition from critics and roaring applause from gay rights advocates.
The five-member Kennewick School Board serves as the legislative branch for its school district, which oversees the education of nearly 19,000 full-time students in the Tri-Cities.
Earlier this year, Kennewick passed a resolution voicing opposition to two bills in the Legislature. The first one required public schools to teach about the contributions of gay people, and the second barred school boards from prohibiting educational material on the basis that it includes contributions of “protected class” individuals.
While both bills became law, Kennewick stood out as a prominent voice of objection.
On two occasions in the last couple years, the board has also considered banning the teachings of critical race theory, despite acknowledgment from Kennewick Superintendent Traci Pierce and state Superintendent Chris Reykdal that the ideology is not taught in their schools.
The Kennewick School Board will hold its regular business meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the district administration building, located at 1000 W. 4th Avenue.
