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Dozens of speakers urge Tacoma board to preserve inclusive sports policies and oppose WIAA amendments
Summary
Nine members of the public told the board they oppose proposed WIAA amendments and urged the district to keep transgender students eligible for teams and school activities; several speakers described personal experience and professional observations about harms from exclusion.
Nine public speakers addressed the Tacoma School Board on March 27, overwhelmingly urging the district to continue inclusive policies for transgender students and opposing proposed Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) amendments identified in testimony as Amendments 7 and 8.
Emmett Jones, a parent and Tacoma Public Schools employee who identified himself as a transgender man and an ESP in special education, said exclusionary policies would "send a message to everyone that some people are worthless." Jones asked the board to resist bans on transgender students in girls' sports. "No child deserves to be treated this way. And Tacoma this can never be what we teach," he said.
Other speakers recounted personal or professional reasons to support inclusion. Nayser Coleman, a Stadium High School senior who has participated in the district's Beyond the Bell program, said the programs helped develop leadership skills. Rachel Deal, a registered dietitian who works with adolescents, warned that the proposed WIAA changes would contribute to "othering" and could worsen mental-health outcomes for teenagers. Val Middleton, a former teacher and coach, said national groups use targeted campaigns to push restrictive policies and warned that exclusion strategies harm all students.
Multiple speakers explicitly named "Amendments 7 and 8" as the policy proposals they opposed and asked board members to carry their concerns to decision-makers. Gabrielle Favre Cochin said she moved to Tacoma because she wanted her children to grow up in "an inclusive and welcoming community" and urged board members to ensure that message applies to LGBTQ students.
The board did not vote on athletic eligibility policies or on WIAA positions at the meeting. General counsel reminded speakers that the board would not respond during the meeting and that staff or the superintendent's designee would follow up if action was needed.
Public comment concluded after Beverly Allen, a Franklin Elementary parent, asked the board to focus on supporting students and not be distracted by outside political pressure. "When kids are not supported we know that they have bad health outcomes," Allen said. "Let's focus on education ' let's focus on love."
