Title IX is a 53 year old federal civil rights law intended to protect the rights of biological girls to fair treatment in academic and athletic programs that receive federal funding. On January 9, 2025, a federal court order was issued in the case of Tennessee v Cardona requiring all educational agencies in the US that receive federal funds – including every school district in Washington State - to immediately comply with the original meaning of Title IX. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2025/2025-1-title-ix.pdf

Citing the Tennessee V Cardona federal court order, on February 4, 2025, the US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague” letter notifying all K-12 schools in the United States that they needed to immediately comply with the original meaning of Title IX. https://www.ed.gov/media/document/title-ix-enforcement-directive-dcl-109477.pdf

In addition, based on the Tennessee v Cardona court order, on February 5, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order which states: “Under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports… Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports/

But instead of complying with Title IX as required by federal law, a federal court order, a Dear Colleague Letter and a Presidential Order, Chris Reykdal has so far refused to comply with Title IX – falsely claiming that Washington state civil rights Policy 3211 has priority over federal civil rights laws such as Title IX. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/news-center/news-releases/state-superintendent-chris-reykdals-statement-president-trumps-order-discriminate-against-trans

In fact, any State law that directly contradict federal laws is null and void under Article VI Section II of the US Constitution.

Since Policy 3211 requires allowing biological males to enter girls bathrooms and girls lockers rooms and participate in girls sports while Title IX prohibits allowing biological males from entering girls bathrooms or girls locker rooms or participating in girls sports, Policy 3211 is null and void.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington Parents Network files Title IX Complaint against Washington Superintendent, Chris Reykdal and Washington Governor, Bob Ferguson

FERNDALE, WASHINGTON – Today, February 28, 2025, the Washington Parents Network filed a 99 page Title IX Complaint against Washington Superintendent, Chris Reykdal and Washington Governor, Bob Ferguson to restore fairness in girls sports. The complaint was filed with the US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. Our complaint seeks to enforce an important federal law, called Title IX, which was passed 53 years ago, to end discrimination against girls and women in educational and athletic programs that receive federal funding. Our complaint details numerous violations of Title IX that have occurred and continue to occur in Washington state on a daily basis.

February 28, 2025

From: David Spring, Director, Washington Parents Network

To: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg.
400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100

RE: Title IX Complaint against Washington Superintendent, Chris Reykdal and Washington Governor, Bob Ferguson

Sent via email

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a Title IX Civil Rights complaint filed under the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) Complaint Resolution Process against Washington State Superintendent, Chris Reykdal, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, (OSPI), 600 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98504 and Washington State Governor, Bob Ferguson, Office of the Governor, PO Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002.

The Washington Parents Network is an association of over 2,600 parents in Washington state. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of parents and their children. Our complaint includes this 4 page cover letter, a 74 page summary of their volations – divided into 15 sections – and Declarations from 11 of our members outlining how their rights and the rights of their children and students under Title IX were violated by policies advanced directly or indirectly by Chris Reykdal and Bob Ferguson, who we contend have been violating the plain meaning of Title IX for more than 8 years.

To be clear, in this complaint, we have only summarized a few of the worst violations of Title IX that have been inflicted on our children, parents, teachers and school board members during the past 8 years. We contend that all of our members and all of their children – and in fact, all of the children in Washington state - have been harmed by Reykdal and Ferguson’s failure to comply with Title IX. As we explain below, even the recent Title IX complaint, filed on February 17, 2025 against the Tumwater School District, should more properly be directed against Chris Reykdal and Bob Ferguson, since the school district was forced to comply with Washington State Policy 3211 – under the threat by Chris Reykdal that the school district would lose state funding if they failed to comply.

While Reykdal’s threats to withhold funding from school district was contrary to Article IX, Sections 1 and 2 of the Washington State Constitution, his threats were allowed to be made - and subsequent forced violations of Title IX - were allowed to be made by then Attorney General and now Governor Bob Ferguson. Thus, the two of them have acted in concert to commit thousands of ongoing violations of Title IX.

February 22, 2025

To: Legislators, Washington State House and Senate

From: David Spring M. Ed., Director, Washington Parents Network

Re: Washington State failure to comply with Title IX

Dear Legislator,
The Washington Parents Network is an association of more than 2,700 parents here in Washington state. We maintain that our rights and duties as parents come not from the state legislature but are inalienable rights that come directly from God. We are concerned that, over the last decade, the Washington State legislature has passed many laws that violate our inalienable parental right to care for and be directly involved in making decisions for our minor children – who are not yet developmentally able to comprehend the long term consequences of their own decisions.

I am writing to ask for your help in making the legislature and other state leaders aware of the fact that many Washington state laws and policies are in direct violation of a federal called Title IX intended to give girls equal opportunities in educational and athletic programs that receive federal funds. As just one example, Title IX protects the right of girls to have their own sports leagues in order to create a fair and level playing field for girls to be given equal opportunities to compete and succeed in sports, in education and in life. Our members strongly support Title IX.

Sadly, for many years, Washington state has violated Title IX by allowing biological males to compete in girls sports. Washington state politicians, led by Bob Ferguson and Chris Reykdal have repeatedly and falsely claimed that Washington state was not violating Title IX because, according to their convoluted reasoning, Title IX required allowing biological males to compete in girls sports – even though the clear intent of Title IX was the exact opposite of their claims.

On January 9, 2025, this false interpretation of Title IX was rejected by a federal court order. In addition, the Trump administration has pledged to uphold Title IX and withhold federal funds from any state failing to comply.

Sadly, on February 7, 2025, OSPI issued a 9 page bulletin called Guidance on Returning to the 2020 Title IX Rules which once again fails to comply with Title IX. This places Washington state at risk of losing billions of dollars in federal funds. We ask that you read and share our report and join us in demanding compliance with Title IX.

Recent Important Legal Rules clarifying the meaning of Title IX

In 2024, the Biden administration attempted to rewrite Title IX to transform it from a law protecting girls rights into a law protecting “gender identity” rights – with the term “gender identity” including biological males who wanted to pretend to be girls. This dramatic change in Title IX was litigated by 26 states with numerous federal courts concluding that Title IX was intended to protect girls rights and not gender identity rights.

On August 16, 2024, in an opinion combining the cases, Dept of Education v Louisiana and Cardona v Tennessee, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that at least three provisions of the Biden Final Rule were illegal. These were: #1 The requirement that Trans Rights replace Girls Rights. #2 The requirement that Trans males be allowed in Girls Bathrooms & Locker Rooms. #3 Requiring the use of specific pronouns violates the First Amendment rights of teachers & students. Here is a link to their order: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/24a78_f2ah.pdf

Here is a quote from this decision: