West Valley School Board split on transgender sports participation amid federal Title IX investigation

The West Valley School Board became the latest local voice to join the conversation around transgender athletes’ participation in school sports on Wednesday.

It’s a relevant topic in West Valley, home to a state track athlete who has finished second to a transgender athlete at two state track meets in a row.

With their athlete Lauren Matthew top of mind, the board considered sending a letter to the federal government akin to Central Valley and Mead earlier this year.

The board was split, ultimately deciding to table the issue while voting down a drafted letter to the Department of Education’s civil rights arm. The letter would have encouraged the ongoing investigation from the feds into the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction over state policies surrounding trans students’ sports participation, restroom use and parental notification.

Board members Robert Dompier and Amy Anselmo voted to send the letter, while board members Adam Mortensen, Pam McLoed and Dan Hansen voted to hold off in favor of another draft, which iterated the board’s stance against trans girls playing in girls sports while maintaining the district is beholden to state law.

“There’s a point, to show that we support the investigation into the state of Washington,” Dompier said in support of the failed draft. “Furthermore, we have this student who was discriminated against. Title IX was supposed to protect her and it failed.”

In 2024 and 2025, Matthew placed second in the girls State 2A 400-meter dash behind transgender athlete Veronica Garcia, of East Valley.

Board members each raised issues of fairness between those born as biologically female and male, McLeod, conflicted on this issue, said it’s difficult to win in sporting competitions against those born as biologically male.

“You just want to have all the kids be able to be successful, and it doesn’t always work out that way; somebody always loses. It’s hard to be right or wrong in this situation,” McLeod said. “I’ve played sports my whole life. I’ve played against transgender people. It’s not something you really like to do, necessarily, because they are stronger than you are.”

While he said he’s not satisfied with OSPI’s approach to the issue, Hansen said he didn’t want to come off as supporting the federal government’s investigation.

“I personally will not be seen as an ally for those who resort to denigration or bullying or intimidation, which is what’s happening from Washington, D.C.,” Hansen said.

Hansen cited a 2023 Center for Disease Control and Prevention survey that found transgender youth are five times more likely to have attempted suicide than their cisgender peers.

“These are the very most vulnerable students,” he said.

While the federal probe into Washington schools has yet to bear any fruit or guidance for conflicted school boards, a similar investigation into Maine’s schools authority found that the state’s similar policies allowing trans kids to play on whichever team they prefer were out of alignment with the Title IX under the Trump administration.

Mortenson said he wasn’t sure how to strike a balance weighing the inclusion of trans students and the fairness and safety concerns raised by some cisgender athletes.

“Now, obviously, we have challenges to try to figure out. How do we support our trans students to give them an opportunity to compete in some fashion? And how does that work?” Mortenson said.

The West Valley School Board will consider the topic again at a later time, possibly through a letter sent to OSPI or communication with district families.