This is the most incredible story I have ever posted. Washington Superintendent Chris Reykdal has threatened a school board to withhold their state funding because the school board voted to comply with federal law! For the past 8 years, Reykdal has been breaking an important Civil Rights law called Title IX (which protects girls rights to fair opportunities in academic and athletic programs that get federal funds). Now he is demanding that school board members also violate federal law.
On March 4, 2025, Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal sent an offical warning letter to the Tumwater School Board threatening them for voting in favor of a WIAA policy change which would ban biological males from participating in girls sports. While the WIAA policy change is needed to bring Washington school districts into compliance with Title IX, Reykdal stated that the policy change would violate Washington state law – thereby risking the loss of state school funding. While Reykdal is likely correct that the WIAA amendment violates Washington state law, he is wrong in claiming that State law has priority over federal law. Failing to comply with Title IX will eventually lead to a loss of federal funding.
Direct Conflict between Washington law and Federal law
The Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is an educational agency that, like OSPI and the Tumwater School District, recieves federal funding and is therefore required to comply with a federal law called Title IX. Title IX requires educational agencies to provide fair academic and sports programs for biological girls. By allowing biological males to participate in girls sports, the WIAA is clearly in violation of Title IX because Title IX prohibits biological males from participating in girls sports. Currently, the WIAA is in the process of considering amendments which, if passed, would bring WIAA closer to compliance with Title IX. However, amending the WIAA gender policy to prohibit males in girls sports would violate current Washington State laws.
In particular, RCW 28A.642.080 states: “By January 31, 2020, each school district must adopt or amend if necessary policies and procedures that, at a minimum, incorporate all the elements of the model transgender student policy and procedure described in subsection (3) of this section.” This subsection 3 requires compliance with Policy 3211. While this law refers to school districts rather than the WIAA – it is likely that it also applies to WIAA which is a collection of school district administrators.
It is therefore no surprise that Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Rule 18.16.0 (Page 37) currently states: “All students have the opportunity to participate in WIAA athletics and/or activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity.” https://assets.wiaa.com/results/handbook/2024-25/handbook.pdf
Tumwater school district votes to comply with Title IX – but now is in violation of Washington policy 3211
On Thursday February 27, 2025, the Tumwater School Board voted to support the WIAA amendment to ban biological males from participating in Girls Sports. The vote came one week after a Title IX complaint was filed against the district by a Tumwater High School girls basketball player who refused to play against an 18 year old biological male in a Tumwater Girls Basketball game. Here is a copy of the Tumwater School Board Resolution:
The resolution supporting a proposed amendment to WIAA policy, that had previously allowed biological males to participate in girls sports, was passed by a vote of 3-1. After the vote, a protest erupted requiring the school board to cancel the rest of their meeting:
School Board member, Jill Adams stated "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."
Actually, Jill and every other parent, teacher and school board director in Washington state is caught between the Title IX Truth and a series of Trans Cult lies that have been pushed by Chris Reykdal and Bob Ferguson during the past 8 years.
Reykdal threatens Tumwater Board for voting to comply with Title IX
On March 4, 2025, Chris Reykdal sent an official OSPI letter warning the Tumwater School Board that their vote to support the WIAA amendment was a violation of Washington state law. Here are quotes from Reykdal’s letter to the Tumwater School Board (my emphasis):
“The Equity and Civil Rights Office within the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is aware that the Tumwater School District (District)’s Board of Directors (Board) adopted a resolution, Resolution No. 09-24-25, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Policy Amendments (Resolution), on February 27, 2025.”
“The Equity and Civil Rights Office is responsible for ensuring that school districts in Washington comply with state and federal nondiscrimination laws, rules, and guidelines, including Chapters 28A.640 and 28A.642 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and 392-190 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). These laws prohibit Washington K–12 public schools from engaging in discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. “
“Washington antidiscrimination laws already comply with federal civil rights and nondiscrimination statutes. States are permitted to provide greater protections for students than what is required by federal minimum standards, and Washington’s laws fit squarely within the scope of what is allowed by federal law. Any federal executive orders or interpretative correspondence demanding a different approach do not have independent force of law and thus do not require a change in school policy.”
“OSPI is compelled to notify the District that the Resolution does not align with the nondiscrimination requirements of Chapter 28A.642 RCW and may expose students to discrimination on the basis of gender identity or gender expression. The Resolution is not consistent with the state’s civil rights guidelines, Prohibiting Discrimination in Washington Public Schools, which state that school districts should allow students the opportunity to participate in athletic activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity. OSPI is also concerned that the Board’s Resolution may have a chilling effect on the rights of all students, including transgender and gender-expansive students, to participate in the District’s athletic programs and activities.”
“Further, the Resolution directs the District administration and athletic directors to support and approve the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Amendments 7 and 8. Outside of the district superintendent, it is not typical for a board of directors to direct the actions of an employee, and doing so may carry its own legal risk. In addition, the Board may be putting at risk the District’s athletic directors’ professional certifications by directing them to intentionally violate state nondiscrimination law, which may be a violation of the Code of Professional Conduct… Should the District take any such action, OSPI may take steps to issue appropriate corrective action as outlined in RCW 28A.642.050.”
Reykdal’s claim that “Washington Laws comply with federal Civil Rights Laws” is False
Title IX is an important federal Civil Rights law intended to protect the civil rights of biological girls to fair treatment in academic and athletic programs that receive federal funding. On January 9, 2025, a federal judge in the case of Tennessee v Cardona ruled that interpreting Title IX to protect “gender identity” rights instead of the rights of biological girls would render Title IX to be meaningless. The judge therefore ordered all 50 states to comply with the original meaning of Title IX by interpreting the meaning of the word “sex” in Title IX to mean biological sex and not gender identity. In August 2024, the US Supreme Court also ruled by a 9-0 vote in the case of Tennessee v Cardona that the word “sex” in Title IX to mean biological sex and not gender identity. Because Washington law replaces biological sex with gender identity, it is in violation of Title IX and the 2024 US Supreme Court ruling and the 2025 Tennessee v Cardona federal court order.
Reykdal’s claim that State law has priority over federal law is also false
Article VI, Clauses 2 of the US Constitution (also known as the Supremacy clause) clearly states that federal law has priority over state law. Thus, Reykdal’s claim violates the US Constitution and is a violation of Reykdal’s Oath of Office.
But in addition, Title IX includes language in the form of a contract between educational agencies such as OSPI and the federal government whereby state agencies agree to comply with Title IX in trade for getting federal education funds. So Reykdal’s claim and Washington State laws that allow biological males to participate in girls sports are both in violation of Washington state’s Title IX contract with the federal government.
This extreme violation of an entire state ignoring an important federal civil rights law has never happened before in the 53 year history of Title IX. But there is no question that the federal government will not allow this extreme violation of Title IX to continue much longer. Either Reykdal and Washington state will comply with Title IX or, at some point in the near future, they will lose their federal education funding – possibly amounting to billions of dollars and requiring the firing of thousands of teachers here in Washington state.
If Washington state schools lose billions of dollars in federal education funding, it will not be the fault of the federal government. It will be the fault of Chris Reykdal.
As always, we look forward to your questions and comments.
Regards,
David Spring M. Ed.
Washington Parents Network.com
