Feds launch investigations into four WA school districts over trans athletes

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has announced they are investigating four school districts in Washington state for permitting transgender students to compete in school sports.

Cheney Public Schools, the Sultan School District, Tacoma Public Schools, and Vancouver Public Schools are just four of the 18 educational entities nationwide under investigation for alleged Title IX violations.

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According to a statement from the Department of Education, the group of K-12 school districts, postsecondary education institutions, and state departments of education, "maintain policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of sex by permitting students to participate in sports based on their 'gender identity,' not biological sex."

Those policies put the safety and equal opportunities of women in educational programs and activities at risk, the office argues.

The rollout of the investigations are happening as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in two cases involving state laws banning transgender girls and women from competing in sports at publicly funded schools.

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A spokesperson for Cheney Public Schools told KUOW in an emailed response that they are aware of the investigation, and the district does plan to cooperate.

The other three districts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.