Latest news with #Staudt
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education Department probing Washington state school district that refused to remove trans athlete
The Education Department says it is investigating a Washington state school district that recently moved to ban transgender students from participating on girls' sports teams after it also reprimanded a student-athlete who misgendered a transgender opponent. A civil rights complaint filed Feb. 17 by the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) alleges the Tumwater School District, a district of about 6,000 students in Western Washington, violated Title IX and a student's First Amendment rights by refusing to remove a transgender player on an opposing team from a girls' junior varsity basketball game last month. Frances Staudt, a 15-year-old sophomore at Tumwater High School, had requested school officials either eject the student or forfeit the game, according to the complaint. When they refused, citing a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) policy that allows student-athletes to participate in line with their gender identity, Staudt removed herself from the game. Staudt continued lobbying school officials from the bench to remove the student and repeatedly voiced 'her concerns about a boy playing in a game that was meant for girls,' according to the complaint. Tumwater High School said Staudt had violated the district's policies against bullying and harassment by intentionally misgendering the student, which Staudt then argued violated her free speech rights. 'I looked over, and I said, 'You are a man,' because that is my First Amendment right,' Staudt told KOMO-TV in Seattle about the game, which took place one day after President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports nationwide. On Thursday, the Tumwater School District's Board of Directors voted 3-1 in favor of a resolution supporting an amendment to WIAA policy that would prevent transgender girls from participating in girls' sports. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights said Monday it was investigating the school district 'amid allegations that it continues to violate Title IX by allowing male athletes to compete in girls' interscholastic athletics.' The investigation is one of at least eight the department has launched into states, school districts and athletic associations since Trump's executive order on transgender athletes. The president publicly sparred with Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) last month after the state's governing body for high school sports said it would not enforce the restrictions, citing a state anti-discrimination law preventing them from doing so. In a Feb. 20 YouTube video, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said state protections against gender identity discrimination similarly prohibit Washington State schools from barring trans student-athletes from teams that match their gender identity. 'Our state laws make clear that students get to identify and participate in activities based on the gender in which they identify. We're going to uphold that law,' he said. 'Until Congress acts differently and changes the law, or our state legislature changes the law, we're going to follow the current law and the current civil rights framework of this state and that's what it tells us to do, and I hope everyone can respect that,' Reykdal said. The Senate is set to vote this week on a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports at schools. In an emailed statement, Laurie Wiedenmeyer, director of communications and community relations for the Tumwater School District, said the Education Department had notified the district of its investigation on Feb. 28. 'Our priority has always been to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for all students, families, and staff,' Wiedenmeyer said. 'While we cannot discuss specific details due to confidentiality requirements, we take all concerns seriously and remain dedicated to continuous improvement in our schools.' 'We appreciate the patience of our community as we work through this, and we remain dedicated to transparency and continuous improvement. Our focus remains on supporting each of our students, staff, and families while fostering an educational environment that upholds the values of respect and opportunity for all,' she added. In a news release, Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said Washington state's federal funding could be at risk. 'If Washington wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Department, it has to follow federal law,' he said. The number of transgender students participating in school sports is unclear. In September, the National Federation of State High School Associations, which does not report how many student-athletes are transgender, said more than 8 million students competed in high school sports last year. Karissa Niehoff, the organization's CEO, told The Hill an openly trans athlete has never set a national record. Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA, which barred transgender athletes from competing in women's college sports following Trump's executive order, told a Senate panel in December that he is aware of fewer than 10 transgender NCAA athletes. Reykdal, in his YouTube video last month, said out of nearly 250,000 student-athletes in Washington State, 'roughly 5 to 10 youth have identified themselves as transgender.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Education Department probing Washington state school district that refused to remove trans athlete
The Education Department says it is investigating a Washington state school district that recently moved to ban transgender students from participating on girls' sports teams after it also reprimanded a student-athlete who misgendered a transgender opponent. A civil rights complaint filed Feb. 17 by the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) alleges the Tumwater School District, a district of about 6,000 students in Western Washington, violated Title IX and a student's First Amendment rightsby refusing to remove a transgender player on an opposing team from a girls' junior varsity basketball game last month. Frances Staudt, a 15-year-old sophomore at Tumwater High School, had requested school officials either eject the student or forfeit the game, according to the complaint. When they refused, citing a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) policy that allows student-athletes to participate in line with their gender identity, Staudt removed herself from the game. Staudt continued lobbying school officials from the bench to remove the student and repeatedly voiced 'her concerns about a boy playing in a game that was meant for girls,' according to the complaint. Tumwater High School said Staudt had violated the district's policies against bullying and harassment by intentionally misgendering the student, which Staudt then argued violated her free speech rights. 'I looked over, and I said, 'You are a man,' because that is my First Amendment right,' Staudt told KOMO-TV in Seattle about the game, which took place one day after President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports nationwide. On Thursday, the Tumwater School District's Board of Directors voted 3-1 in favor of a resolution supporting an amendment to WIAA policy that would prevent transgender girls from participating in girls' sports. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights said Monday it was investigating the school district 'amid allegations that it continues to violate Title IX by allowing male athletes to compete in girls' interscholastic athletics.' The investigation is one of at least eight the department has launched into states, school districts and athletic associations since Trump's executive order on transgender athletes. The president publicly sparred with Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) last month after the state's governing body for high school sports said it would not enforce the restrictions, citing a state anti-discrimination law preventing them from doing so. In a Feb. 20 YouTube video, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said state protections against gender identity discrimination similarly prohibit Washington State schools from barring trans student-athletes from teams that match their gender identity. 'Our state laws make clear that students get to identify and participate in activities based on the gender in which they identify. We're going to uphold that law,' he said. 'Until Congress acts differently and changes the law, or our state legislature changes the law, we're going to follow the current law and the current civil rights framework of this state and that's what it tells us to do, and I hope everyone can respect that,' Reykdal said. The Senate is set to vote this week on a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports at schools. In an emailed statement, Laurie Wiedenmeyer, director of communications and community relations for the Tumwater School District, said the Education Department had notified the district of its investigation on Feb. 28. 'Our priority has always been to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for all students, families, and staff,' Wiedenmeyer said. 'While we cannot discuss specific details due to confidentiality requirements, we take all concerns seriously and remain dedicated to continuous improvement in our schools.' 'We appreciate the patience of our community as we work through this, and we remain dedicated to transparency and continuous improvement. Our focus remains on supporting each of our students, staff, and families while fostering an educational environment that upholds the values of respect and opportunity for all,' she added. In a news release, Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said Washington state's federal funding could be at risk. 'If Washington wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Department, it has to follow federal law,' he said. The number of transgender students participating in school sports is unclear. In September, the National Federation of State High School Associations, which does not report how many student-athletes are transgender, said more than 8 million students competed in high school sports last year. Karissa Niehoff, the organization's CEO, told The Hill an openly trans athlete has never set a national record. Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA, which barred transgender athletes from competing in women's college sports following Trump's executive order, told a Senate panel in December that he is aware of fewer than 10 transgender NCAA athletes. Reykdal, in his YouTube video last month, said out of nearly 250,000 student-athletes in Washington State, 'roughly 5 to 10 youth have identified themselves as transgender.'
Fox News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin probing school district for trans athlete scandal even after changing policy to follow exec order
The U.S. Department of Education on Monday opened a Title IX investigation into the Tumwater School District (TSD) in Washington state over a widely publicized incident involving a girl being allegedly punished for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete. A civil rights complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of female TSD student Frances Staudt. The incident became so widely publicized and controversial that the school district voted 3-1 last Thursday to ban trans athletes from girls' sports, defying the current state law that orders schools to enable trans inclusion. It is one of the first incidents of a school district banning trans athletes from girls' sports, complying with President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, while the state as a whole chooses to defy it. "A lot of us may disagree with the executive order, but us as school board members are caught between a rock and a hard place," TSD board member Jill Adams said. "I support different viewpoints, I support different ways of living, but it's tough. I'm caught between, not a rock, but a boulder and a hard surface." The board members cited the recent incident involving Staudt, and the national backlash, in its decision to ban trans athletes and comply with Trump's order. Still, Trump's administration is still doing its due diligence in investigating the incident anyway after the civil rights complaint was filed. "OCR's directed investigations of educational institutions, state boards of education, interscholastic associations, and school districts demonstrates that the Trump Education Department will vigorously enforce Title IX to ensure men stop competing in women's sports," said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. "If Washington wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Department, it has to follow federal law." The complaint alleged that the district investigated the 15-year-old Staudt for "misgendering" an opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment on Feb. 7. According to the document, prior to the game, Staudt asked the school's principal and athletic director whether the player was a biological male. The administrators then allegedly confirmed that they had been notified that the player was transgender, but denied her pleas to have the player removed. Staudt removed herself from the game. Then, according to the document, a TSD employee allegedly confronted Staudt's younger brother for taking a video of the game, saying, "You better think twice about what you're doing right now." Staudt and her mother, Aimee, discussed how her refusal to play against a biological male ignited a firestorm with the Tumwater School District during a "Fox & Friends" interview last week. "They [the school district] could have avoided this happening," Aimee told Steve Doocy on Thursday. "They knew, admittedly, that there was going to be this situation, and they had a meeting, the principal, the superintendent, and the athletic director to discuss the fact that this was a potential situation that was coming up." Aimee believes that if the families had been notified of the situation beforehand and given players the option to sit out of the game, it could have yielded a different outcome. "But they didn't do that," she said. "They put the kids on the spot, and my daughter was the one that actually stood up in this situation, and… she was exposed… It was awful the way they handled it." Meanwhile, the trans athlete, Andi Rooks, appeared alongside the athlete's father on the YouTube series "[un]Divided with Brandie Kruse" to address the issue. "I've never had an issue until this game, and my goal was never to make anybody uncomfortable in any way, and I didn't even realize Frances had an issue until I got yelled at at the game," Rooks said. "If she had had a conversation with me before the game, I would have sat out. My last thing I want to do is make anybody uncomfortable." Washington is one of the many blue states that has refused to comply with Trump's executive order, as WIAA policy states that each athlete will participate in programs "consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed," and there are not even any medical or legal requirements. Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls' and women's sports have been introduced but not passed. Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal spoke in defense of transgender athletes in girls' sports in an address last week, claiming it was "inaccurate" to say there are only two genders. Reykdal insisted that Trump does not have the authority as president to issue a ban on trans athletes in girls' sports but conceded the U.S. Congress does. "Until Congress changes the law or our state legislature changes the law, we're going to follow the current law and the current civil rights framework of this state, and that's what it tells us to do," Reykdal said. The Department of Education is also currently investigating the high school athletic associations in California, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine for defying Trump's order. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Trans athlete and 'uncomfortable' opponent speak out after alleged incident prompts civil rights complaint
A civil rights complaint has been filed to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of a teenage girl in Washington state who was allegedly punished for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete. The complaint alleged that the Tumwater School District in Washington is currently investigating 15-year-old Frances Staudt for "misgendering" the opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment on Feb. 7. According to the document, prior to the game Staudt asked the school's principal and athletic director whether the player was a biological male. The administrators then allegedly confirmed they were notified the player was transgender, but denied her pleas to have the player removed. Staudt removed herself from the game. Then, per the document, a TSD employee allegedly confronted Staudt's younger brother for taking a video of the game, saying, "You better think twice about what you're doing right now." Fox News Digital has reached out to the TSD for comment. Staudt appeared on the YouTube series "[un]Divided with Brandie Kruse" with her mother to discuss the situation this week, where they each repeated many of the same allegations included in the complaint. "I've had threats at me. I've had people telling me I'm going to hell. I've had people saying, 'Good luck having any future after this' and saying, 'I know all the people who are reporting your account are happy to see your downfall, and know that it's going to be a real rough time for you in your future because of your decision to post this,'" Staudt said on the show. Just days later, the trans athlete involved in the incident, identified as Andi Rooks, appeared on the same show alongside the athlete's father. Rooks would have sat out if Staudt's concerns were known. "I've never had an issue until this game, and my goal was never to make anybody uncomfortable in any way, and I didn't even realize Frances had an issue until I got yelled at at the game," Rooks said. "If she had had a conversation with me before the game, I would have sat out. My last thing I want to do is make anybody uncomfortable." Rooks added that the athlete will sit out any future games if opponents are uncomfortable facing a trans athlete. "If any other person or player I'm playing against is like, 'I don't feel comfortable with this,' I don't mind sitting out," Rooks said. Rooks also went on to acknowledge that biological males hold a biological advantage over females, and that the athlete doesn't believe trans athletes should compete against women in the Olympics. Rooks' father, Donnie Brooks, defended his child in the situation, claiming Andi never played boys' basketball and only ever played girls' sports. Donnie Brooks said he voted for President Donald Trump, who recently signed an executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in women's sports. However, Washington is one of the many Democrat-run states, including California, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine, that have pushed back on Trump's order. Washington's high school athletes are currently allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. The WIAA policy states that each athlete will participate in programs "consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed," and there are not even any medical or legal requirements. Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls and women's sports have been introduced but not passed. However, the issue became so concerning for residents, that in December the WIAA announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in. "In order to maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in girls' sports and girls' divisions of sports is restricted to students who were assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to offer clarity with respect to the participation of trans and gender-diverse student-athletes. Additionally, this policy encourages a culture in which student-athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment, free of discrimination," the proposal read. That proposal came weeks after the Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) over the issues after much debate at a school board meeting. The resolution, titled "Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports," claims that the entire board comprised of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who competed in athletics. One of the women, an unidentified current cross-country runner, shared her experience during that hearing. "When I ran cross-country for Greenacres Middle School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls team," she said. "While I respect everyone's right to participate in sports, the situation made me question the fairness of competing of someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology." In May, a trans athlete competed in a girls cross-country championship and won. Veronica Garcia, who was previously known as Devina Brown and Donovan Brown, won the 400m heat race in the girls division with a time of 55.59 seconds. The second-place runner finished at 58.83 seconds. In the finals, Garcia won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second-place runner, who finished with 56.75. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
