Latest news with #TumwaterSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
School district to investigate reports of sexual harassment among middle school students
Students at Tumwater Middle School claim there is sexual harassment going on between students, and now, the Tumwater School District is hiring an independent investigator to look into those allegations. Last Friday, dozens of kids protested student-to-student sexual harassment that has allegedly taken place at their school. 'It's like a huge problem,' said one student. KIRO 7 talked with a mother about what she heard from her daughter, who is an eighth grader at the school. 'That some students were assaulting other students in bathrooms and that there were complaints, and nothing was happening,' said the parent, who wished to remain anonymous. She said she had no idea about the harassment claims until her daughter told her she wanted to be a part of the protest. 'She wanted to be a part of it because it triggered her – she's had her own personal things happen to her with unwanted attention,' said the mother. The district says it's initiating a Title IX investigation and, in a statement, added, 'We are following all required procedures and prioritizing student well-being. Any necessary actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.' 'I'm glad that they're gonna look deeper into it – I hope that it does something,' said the mother. The Tumwater Police Department told KIRO 7 they have investigated previous complaints at the school – but the outside investigation is separate. If there are new criminal allegations, the department will look into those.
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.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Washington teen refuses to compete against trans basketball player, faces civil rights complaint
A high school basketball player in Washington state is fighting back against allegations of bullying and harassment after she refused to play against a transgender athlete in her final game of the season. 15-year-old Frances Staudt and her mother, Aimee, discussed how her refusal to play against a biological male ignited a firestorm with the Tumwater School District during "Fox & Friends," and allegedly prompted a series of threats against their family. "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." Maine Legislature Censures Rep. Laurel Libby For Pointing Out Trans Athlete Who Won Girls' Competition The Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) filed a civil rights complaint on Frances' behalf to the Department of Education after the school district reportedly launched an investigation into Frances for "misgendering" her transgender opponent. After warming up for the Feb. 7 game, Frances notified her coach of her refusal to play against the "quite obvious" biological male spotted on the opposing team. Aimee says she then approached the school athletic director, who allegedly responded that the school will not discriminate based on sexual identity in accordance with Washington state law. Read On The Fox News App "When [Frances] was leaving, she was so mad, she felt like she had been exposed, and it was just a terrible situation," Aimee said. "She walked by and said that 'you're a man.' She was so frustrated in the situation, and that is why she has been now charged with bullying, harassment, and intimidation for misgendering this person." Then, per the complaint, a school employee allegedly confronted Staudt's younger brother about taking a video of the game, saying, "You better think twice about what you're doing right now." Shortly after the incident, Frances spoke out about the situation on social media, which was reportedly met with discrimination allegations and threats. The trans athlete involved in the incident later stated in an interview that she would have sat out the game if anyone had expressed an issue. "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," she said on the YouTube series "[un]Divided with Brandie Kruse." Canadian Christian Women's Basketball Team Punished Over Disputed Allegations By Trans Opponent 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." The Tumwater School District released a statement on the controversy: "We recognize that students and families hold diverse perspectives on various topics, including participation in athletics, and we respect the rights of individual students to make their personal decisions regarding their participation in athletic events." "As a district, we remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel safe, supported, and valued," it read. Despite President Donald Trump's recent executive order banning biological males from women's sports, Washington is one of the many Democrat-run states, including California, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine, that have pushed back on the mandate. Washington's high school athletes are currently allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (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. "We did get a letter late Friday that they have found that... she has violated WIAA policy. She hasn't violated Tumwater School policy, so now they've placed her on what they're saying is, if there's any further incidents, she can be charged with further discipline," Aimee said. "So it's basically like they're holding this over her head." Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report. Original article source: Washington teen refuses to compete against trans basketball player, faces civil rights complaint
Fox News
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Washington teen refuses to compete against trans basketball player, faces civil rights complaint
A high school basketball player in Washington state is fighting back against allegations of bullying and harassment after she refused to play against a transgender athlete in her final game of the season. 15-year-old Frances Staudt and her mother, Aimee, discussed how her refusal to play against a biological male ignited a firestorm with the Tumwater School District during "Fox & Friends," and allegedly prompted a series of threats against their family. "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." The Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) filed a civil rights complaint on Frances' behalf to the Department of Education after the school district reportedly launched an investigation into Frances for "misgendering" her transgender opponent. After warming up for the Feb. 7 game, Frances notified her coach of her refusal to play against the "quite obvious" biological male spotted on the opposing team. Aimee says she then approached the school athletic director, who allegedly responded that the school will not discriminate based on sexual identity in accordance with Washington state law. "When [Frances] was leaving, she was so mad, she felt like she had been exposed, and it was just a terrible situation," Aimee said. "She walked by and said that 'you're a man.' She was so frustrated in the situation, and that is why she has been now charged with bullying, harassment, and intimidation for misgendering this person." Then, per the complaint, a school employee allegedly confronted Staudt's younger brother about taking a video of the game, saying, "You better think twice about what you're doing right now." Shortly after the incident, Frances spoke out about the situation on social media, which was reportedly met with discrimination allegations and threats. The trans athlete involved in the incident later stated in an interview that she would have sat out the game if anyone had expressed an issue. "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," she said on the YouTube series "[un]Divided with Brandie Kruse." 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." The Tumwater School District released a statement on the controversy: "We recognize that students and families hold diverse perspectives on various topics, including participation in athletics, and we respect the rights of individual students to make their personal decisions regarding their participation in athletic events." "As a district, we remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel safe, supported, and valued," it read. Despite President Donald Trump's recent executive order banning biological males from women's sports, Washington is one of the many Democrat-run states, including California, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Maine, that have pushed back on the mandate. Washington's high school athletes are currently allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (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. "We did get a letter late Friday that they have found that... she has violated WIAA policy. She hasn't violated Tumwater School policy, so now they've placed her on what they're saying is, if there's any further incidents, she can be charged with further discipline," Aimee said. "So it's basically like they're holding this over her head."
