Latest news with #KennewickSchoolBoard
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Richland school leaders consider rejecting controversial ‘race and curriculum' policy
A controversial policy on race and curriculum adopted three years ago by the Richland School Board could soon be eliminated. On Tuesday, the board will consider cutting Policy 2360 — titled 'Race and the Curriculum' — because it's not backed up by any Washington state code or laws. The policy was championed by former school board members Semi Bird, Audra Byrd and Kari Williams before they were removed from office in a recall in 2023 for voting to violate the state's COVID mask laws. The neighboring Kennewick School Board adopted a similar race policy months earlier as a way to take a stand against the issue of 'critical race theory.' That was done despite Washington school leaders being adamant that school districts are not teaching critical race theory to students or teachers. The Richland policy that was adopted said the Richland board believed the history of all races should be valued, and that students should not be taught that their race, economic status or skin color determines their success or moral character. It also says students must learn 'factual history' from a nonpartisan stance, free from political biases; that materials should be 'free of all forms of indoctrination;' and 'while students are taught that racism exists today, they will not be indoctrinated in the belief that the U.S. is fundamentally or systematically racist.' Bird, then the board's lone Black member, said at the time of adoption that the policy would be 'setting students up for success.' But others who spoke at the meeting said the policy's tone was harsh on teachers. Krista Calvin, an elementary teacher and president of the district's teacher union, said at the time it painted teachers with a 'very broad brush' and furthered a 'nationwide agenda' to villainize teachers. The 'critical race theory' term emerged in the 1970s in legal circles as a way to examine the law on how it serves the interests of people in power at the expense of others. Conservatives in recent years have used 'CRT' as a broad umbrella term to encompass progressive ways of re-examining the U.S.'s troubled history with slavery, racism and civil rights.
Fox News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Why this high school athlete is joining the race to get men out of women's sports
I'm a high school athlete, and I run – for the same reasons most high school girls run: because it's fun, because I'm fast, because I enjoy the competition, and because I know my athletic prowess opens a path to scholarships. High school track offers me great opportunities for all of I don't run to be frustrated, to be disappointed, and to keep losing races (and scholarship opportunities) to male athletes who shouldn't be running against me in the first state of Washington is enforcing policies that present me with all those hurdles when I step out on the track knowing I'm going to be racing against a male who should be competing against boys – a male with a man's strength and speed, who suddenly moves into a position where he's virtually guaranteed to win every race he enters. As a senior who's likely to be running against a male student in the near future, I believe Washington's policy isn't fair. So do a lot of our state's high school coaches. So do a growing number of other people (in both political parties). I'M A 3-SPORT HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE IN MAINE – I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO COMPETE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MALESIn fact, those numbers are growing fast enough that President Donald Trump issued an executive order recognizing that Title IX prohibits males from competing in women's just recently, in the southern part of my state, the Kennewick School Board – caught between the president's executive order and our state officials' unwavering policies – voted 4-0 to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The board says my state's school superintendent, the state's Office of Public Instruction, and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association are all in violation of the president's order and Title IX… and the board is asking for "urgent" federal intervention. The board described what happened at last year's state 400-meter championship as an example of what's wrong. A male from Spokane, at the time a junior who had run for the high school boys' team, now identifies as a girl and easily defeated the young women competing against him. That wasn't much of a surprise – according to he's won every 400-meter he's entered since he first decided to transition. HERE'S THE MESSAGE PRESIDENT TRUMP JUST SENT WITH HIS ORDER KEEPING MEN OUT OF WOMEN'S SPORTSFunny thing: The 400-meter race is one I'm competing in this semester, so I know what to expect when I run against this student, now a senior. My years of hard work, faithful practice, and personal sacrifices will come up against his anatomical advantages, and I'll lose – every time. The Kennewick School Board, quoting from the president's executive order, called that "demeaning, unfair, and dangerous." I agree and have now filed my own complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights through my attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom. Another female athlete and I are asking administration officials to investigate our state's violation of our Title IX protections, and those of all the other women student-athletes in Washington. It's not an unreasonable request. For 50 years, Title IX has guaranteed high school and college students an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of education (including sports) regardless of sex. The law is supposed to ensure that women and girls have a fair chance to compete (and win) in every sport without facing the physical and biological edge men would bring to our contests. Right now, that fairness is out the window. The state officials monitoring women's sports seem to believe a leopard can run as fast as a cheetah – after all, they're both cats with keep hoping they'll come around to seeing things differently, but for now, the clock is ticking on our request. The spring semester and track season are already half over. We're hoping the Office for Civil Rights will jump on this and look into what's happening as soon as possible. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONI know there's a lot of political pressure on this issue. Helping people understand why we need to protect girls' sports may prove to be as difficult as defeating a male out on the track. But this is about fairness – not just for me, but for all women. So, yes, we may have a fight on our we're not going to run.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Newhouse promises support for WA school board fighting state's transgender laws
A Tri-Cities school board's challenge to Washington state's laws allowing transgender students in sports and locker rooms is now being backed by a member of Congress. Central Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse said in a Wednesday social media post that he had met with Kennewick School Board member Josh Miller to hear about their Title IX complaint against the state, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Superintendent Chris Reykdal. 'I informed them I am currently working with the White House and Department of Justice to open a federal investigation into this unacceptable standard that continues to threaten the safety of young female athletes in Central Washington,' Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, posted on Twitter/X. His support is the most prominent the school board has received since filing the complaint on March 27. The meeting also comes as Newhouse receives criticism for not holding a district town hall to discuss DOGE cuts affecting federal workers and programs. The board believes the state's policies 'directly harm' young women, and that they jeopardize the district's federal resources by being at odds with President Donald Trump's executive actions opposing 'male competitive participation in women's sports.' The threat to school funding is tangible as discussions around gender and Title IX interpretations erupt nationwide. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture froze some school funds to Maine public schools over its refusal to ban trans girls from sports, according to a Reuters report. But gender expression and identity are protected classes under Washington state law, meaning schools cannot discriminate against students. OSPI says all public school students have the right to be treated in ways that align with their gender identity. That means students can engage with or use whichever restroom, locker room, pronouns, dress code or athletics programs aligns with their expression. Kennewick's complaint highlights the case of a transgender teen from East Valley High School in Spokane who won the 2024 girls state 400-meter dash, resulting in the team winning the girls 2A track title. For the past two decades, the state's premier organizer of high school sports, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, has prohibited the discrimination of student-athletes based on their preferred identity, allow trans students to compete. Reykdal said there are about five to ten student athletes across Washington state who are transgender, a portion of about 0.004% of the quarter-million student athletes, per FOX 13. But the Kennewick board argues it is 'demeaning, unfair and dangerous' to girls sports, and denies young women the 'equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.' '(OSPI) has mandated that the Kennewick School District revise its gender-inclusive schools policy and procedures to conform to statewide model policy that directly violates Title IX,' the board writes in its complaint, noting a compliance deadline of May 23. 'In doing so, Washington state and the state superintendent, Chris Reykdal, have blatantly disregarded directives of the United States Department of Education, and the lawful executive orders issued by our current president, creating discriminatory and unsafe environments detrimental to our children and particularly damaging to our girls and young women,' it continued. Of the Kennewick School District's $322 million annual budget, about 10% comes from federal funds while nearly 50% comes from OSPI through student apportionment. Since last week, school board leaders have been on a media blitz to discuss their fight against Washington's policies. On Monday, board President Gabe Galbraith and Vice President Micah Valentine appeared on Fox News' program 'Fox & Friends First' to make their plea for federal intervention. Galbraith also called into 770 KTTH's 'The Jason Rantz Show' in Seattle this week. He said they feel they have the federal law on their side, which is why the board is pushing for Trump's interpretation of Title IX. But if the outcome of their complaint favors state law, Galbraith said they would abide by Reykdal. 'Whichever one comes out on top as the rule of the land, then that's what we would ultimately obviously need to follow so that we're not breaking any laws,' he told Rantz. Galbraith says it's a '90-10 issue' in Kennewick, and there has been 'no issues' with administrators or teachers support. 'Ultimately, it's been positive and the community's behind us,' he said.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newhouse promises support for Tri-Cities school board fighting WA's transgender laws
A Tri-Cities school board's challenge to Washington state's laws allowing transgender students in sports and locker rooms is now being backed by a member of Congress. Central Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse said in a Wednesday social media post that he had met with Kennewick School Board member Josh Miller to hear about their Title IX complaint against the state, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Superintendent Chris Reykdal. 'I informed them I am currently working with the White House and Department of Justice to open a federal investigation into this unacceptable standard that continues to threaten the safety of young female athletes in Central Washington,' Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, posted on Twitter/X. His support is the most prominent the school board has received since filing the complaint on March 27. The meeting also comes as Newhouse receives criticism for not holding a district town hall to discuss DOGE cuts affecting federal workers and programs. The board believes the state's policies 'directly harm' young women, and that they jeopardize the district's federal resources by being at odds with President Donald Trump's executive actions opposing 'male competitive participation in women's sports.' The threat to school funding is tangible as discussions around gender and Title IX interpretations erupt nationwide. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture froze some school funds to Maine public schools over its refusal to ban trans girls from sports, according to a Reuters report. But gender expression and identity are protected classes under Washington state law, meaning schools cannot discriminate against students. OSPI says all public school students have the right to be treated in ways that align with their gender identity. That means students can engage with or use whichever restroom, locker room, pronouns, dress code or athletics programs aligns with their expression. Kennewick's complaint highlights the case of a transgender teen from East Valley High School in Spokane who won the 2024 girls state 400-meter dash, resulting in the team winning the girls 2A track title. For the past two decades, the state's premier organizer of high school sports, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, has prohibited the discrimination of student-athletes based on their preferred identity, allow trans students to compete. Reykdal said there are about five to ten student athletes across Washington state who are transgender, a portion of about 0.004% of the quarter-million student athletes, per FOX 13. But the Kennewick board argues it is 'demeaning, unfair and dangerous' to girls sports, and denies young women the 'equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.' '(OSPI) has mandated that the Kennewick School District revise its gender-inclusive schools policy and procedures to conform to statewide model policy that directly violates Title IX,' the board writes in its complaint, noting a compliance deadline of May 23. 'In doing so, Washington state and the state superintendent, Chris Reykdal, have blatantly disregarded directives of the United States Department of Education, and the lawful executive orders issued by our current president, creating discriminatory and unsafe environments detrimental to our children and particularly damaging to our girls and young women,' it continued. Of the Kennewick School District's $322 million annual budget, about 10% comes from federal funds while nearly 50% comes from OSPI through student apportionment. Since last week, school board leaders have been on a media blitz to discuss their fight against Washington's policies. On Monday, board President Gabe Galbraith and Vice President Micah Valentine appeared on Fox News' program 'Fox & Friends First' to make their plea for federal intervention. Galbraith also called into 770 KTTH's 'The Jason Rantz Show' in Seattle this week. He said they feel they have the federal law on their side, which is why the board is pushing for Trump's interpretation of Title IX. But if the outcome of their complaint favors state law, Galbraith said they would abide by Reykdal. 'Whichever one comes out on top as the rule of the land, then that's what we would ultimately obviously need to follow so that we're not breaking any laws,' he told Rantz. Galbraith says it's a '90-10 issue' in Kennewick, and there has been 'no issues' with administrators or teachers support. 'Ultimately, it's been positive and the community's behind us,' he said.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington school board fights 'radical' state education chief defying Trump's transgender athlete ban
A pair of school board officials in deep blue Washington State are fighting back as the state's education chief remains committed to defying President Donald Trump's executive order barring transgender athletes from women's sports. "It's an absolute joke," Kennewick School Board Vice President Micah Valentine said Monday on "Fox & Friends First." "He has been promoting his radical leftist ideology since we've been on the board…. Grades are dropping under his watch. Meanwhile, he's promoting LGBTQIA+ things…" State Education Chief Says It's 'Inaccurate' To Say There Are Only Two Genders, In Defense Of Trans Athletes The Kennewick School Board filed a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights against Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal last week, seeking federal intervention over the state's refusal to comply with Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. Reykdal defended transgender athletes in girls' sports in an address last month, claiming it was "inaccurate" to say "biologically" there are only two genders. Read On The Fox News App "There's a continuum. There's a science to this. There are children who are born intersex. There are children whose hormones and whose chromosomes are not consistent with their sex at birth," he said. School Board Pleads With Trump Admin To Force State Ban On Transgenders In Girls Sports As Democrats Refuse "That's not a debate we're going to have today. I just want to remind you of our civil rights obligations. Our state laws make clear that children get to identify and participate based on the gender in which they identify. We're going to uphold that law." With mixed directives from the federal and state levels, the district is concerned not only about jeopardizing the well-being of female student athletes but also about putting lower-income students at risk if they lose federal funding because of the mix-up. Kennewick School Board President Gabe Galbraith told Fox News that the district is seeking federal intervention to ensure the order will eventually be honored. "There's boys participating in girls' sports. There's boys in girls' locker rooms. It's unfair. It's not safe, and we're asking the federal government to just step in and put an end to this and ensure that the state is following President Trump's statements," he said. Reykdal said his office "has continued to advise Washington's school districts to stay in compliance with state law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity" in a statement to the Washington State Standard. He also argued that Trump's order "attempts to override the authority of states and local school districts by requiring educational institutions to agree to discriminate against trans female athletes in order to continue receiving federal funds." "An executive order is not law, and it does not override state law. OSPI will enforce our current laws as we are required to do in a constitutional democracy until Congress changes the law and/or federal courts invalidate Washington state's laws," he added. Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this article source: Washington school board fights 'radical' state education chief defying Trump's transgender athlete ban
