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News > K-12 education

Washington school sports authority will not change policy on transgender student athletes

UPDATED: Mon., April 7, 2025

Transgender female athletes will continue to play on girls teams in Washington school sports despite some school boards’ efforts to switch them to boys teams or create a league of their own.

News > K-12 education

Man appointed to write a voter pamphlet statement against the Mary Walker school levy argued for the levy instead

Mon., April 7, 2025

SPRINGDALE, Wash. – The voter pamphlet for the Mary Walker School District levy this month includes an argument in favor of the measure, but the argument against it is conspicuously missing.

News > K-12 education

Feds may withhold school funding for ‘illegal DEI practices’; state contends WA schools are in compliance

Mon., April 7, 2025

Legal disagreements continue between Washington state and the federal government after a directive from the Trump administration warned that state education agencies could lose federal funding if they have diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

News > K-12 education

Supreme Court allows Trump officials to freeze teacher training grants over DEI

UPDATED: Fri., April 4, 2025

A divided Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to at least temporarily freeze up to $65 million in educational grants designed to address teacher shortages, which the government says fund programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

News > K-12 education

Spokane, Washington State childcare leaders sound alarms following cuts to federal preschool program

UPDATED: Thu., April 3, 2025

Child care providers are warning of dire implications for Spokane residents as the Head Start program is the latest to be caught up in federal cuts.

News > K-12 education

Kennewick School Board files federal complaint over state policy on trans athletes

UPDATED: Fri., March 28, 2025

An Eastern Washington school board is pleading for urgent federal intervention to force the state to comply with the Trump administration’s policy on transgender athletes.

News > K-12 education

Tri-Cities school board wants ‘urgent’ federal intervention over WA athlete gender laws

UPDATED: Fri., March 28, 2025

The Kennewick School Board on Thursday filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education over Washington state policies on who can use female locker rooms and compete on girls sports teams. The board voted 4-0 at its Wednesday board meeting to file the complaint, with board member Michael Connors abstaining. He said the complaint was a “wildly partisan document.” The complaint claimed ...

News > K-12 education

‘It’s a big family’: Professional basketball stars show Spokane youths the ropes prior to NCAA March Madness games

UPDATED: Thu., March 27, 2025

The Warehouse was alive with the sound of squeaking shoes, bouncing basketballs and gleeful chatter Thursday afternoon as area youths learned some tips and tricks from several professional basketball stars.

News > K-12 education

Mead School Board proposal suggest it would follow Trump orders that conflict with state law on transgender policy

UPDATED: Wed., March 26, 2025

A proposed policy on transgender students in the Mead School District suggests it would follow “federal guidance” over “state directives,” setting up a likely showdown with state officials tasked with enforcing state anti-discrimination law.

News > K-12 education

Mead School Board to discuss ‘noncompliant’ transgender students policy at Monday meeting

Mon., March 24, 2025

The Mead School Board will evaluate its “transgender students” policy at the next school board meeting Monday as it awaits potential backing from federal officials.

News > K-12 education

School jazz bands compete for honors at Mead festival

UPDATED: Sun., March 23, 2025

Hundreds of young musicians flowed into the Mead High School auditorium over the weekend as they competed for best school jazz band honors and picked up tips along the way.

News > K-12 education

No job is too small for Mt. Spokane High School principal, awardee of state principal of the year: ‘When you work for her, you feel valued’

UPDATED: Fri., March 21, 2025

Vacuuming floors isn’t often something advertised in a school principal’s job description. It may not be the first task one associates with leading 1,491 students and 83 teachers at a school.

News > K-12 education

Pacific Northwest Qualifier pledges to pay for Madison Elementary volleyball courts if voters pass $200m SPS bond

UPDATED: Wed., March 19, 2025

A national volleyball organization that serves up millions of dollars to Spokane’s economy each year is poised to help rejuvenate Madison Elementary School.

News > K-12 education

Spokane Public Schools to move ahead with property consolidation to save $5 million, maybe more if $200 million bond passes

Tue., March 18, 2025

The Spokane Public Schools board on Wednesday unanimously approved the first phase of the school district’s property consolidation plan that’s connected to, but not contingent upon passage of, its proposed $200 million bond for November ballots.

News > K-12 education

On five-year anniversary of COVID shutdowns, schools and hospitals reflect on ever-present effects

Fri., March 14, 2025

Five years ago this week, the United States locked down to slow the spread of COVID-19. What was initially thought to be a short few weeks before children returned to school and businesses opened turned out to last for years and continues to reverberate today.

News > K-12 education

State Superintendent weighs in on Mead School Board letter to feds: ‘Follow state law, follow state law and then if you’re not sure, follow state law’

UPDATED: Thu., March 13, 2025

With the Mead School Board saying it’s caught in a “legal dilemma,” Washington Superintendent Chris Reykdal cautioned the board to follow his guidance as the Trump Administration’s executive orders continue to contradict Washington civil rights laws.

News > Education

Thousands of highly trained WA teachers could have their pay cut

UPDATED: Wed., March 12, 2025

SEATTLE – State lawmakers are considering legislation that would reduce the pay of more than 8,000 highly trained Washington teachers by thousands of dollars annually.

News > Education

Student privacy vs. safety: The AI surveillance dilemma in WA schools

UPDATED: Wed., March 12, 2025

One student asked a search engine, “Why does my boyfriend hit me?” Another threatened suicide in an email to an unrequited love. A gay teen opened up in an online diary about struggles with homophobic parents, writing they just wanted to be themselves.

News > K-12 education

Mead School District implores feds to help solve ‘legal dilemma’ of state laws on gender policies that conflict with Trump’s executive orders

UPDATED: Tue., March 11, 2025

The Mead School Board is urging the federal government to step in as the Trump administration continues doling out directives on gender-identity issues that clash with Washington’s progressive state laws.

News > K-12 education

Mead High School principal to resign, athletic director to take over

UPDATED: Tue., March 11, 2025

The Mead High School principal will resign her post at the end of this school year, she announced Tuesday.

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