Trustee Cisneros asks board to place Title IX ‘fairness in girls’ sports’ resolution on August agenda

Trustee Laurie Cisneros asked the Kern County Board of Education to add a resolution titled Title IX and Fairness in Girls’ Interscholastic Sports to the board’s August agenda as a possible action item.

“Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments of 1972 was enacted to prohibit . . . on the basis of [sex],” Cisneros said, summarizing the statute’s original language and telling the board that the Trump administration’s recent interpretation focuses “on biological [sex]” to exclude transgender girls from female athletics and some intimate facilities. Cisneros cited a recent Office for Civil Rights (OCR) resolution agreement concerning the University of Pennsylvania and the swimmer commonly known as Leah Thomas and said OCR had issued enforcement letters to California agencies; she told trustees that the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation “formally rejected the resolution agreement” and that U.S. Education Secretary McMahon plans to sue the state.

Two members of the public urged the board to adopt a resolution backing the federal interpretation. Jess Sanders told the board she supported “President Trump’s and the Department of Education to ban biological males from female sports” and called on the board “to write a resolution in support of the president’s ban.” Dennis McLean also urged the board to “get a resolution that would back Trump’s, protecting the young men women of the Kern County.” Those remarks were made during the meeting’s public-comment period and were attributed to the speakers by name.

Cisneros said she would provide sample resolution language and asked County Counsel to draft a first reading for the August meeting; the board agreed to add the item to the August agenda as a possible adoption but did not vote on a final resolution at this meeting. Cisneros noted that other local bodies and districts had circulated similar resolutions and said sample language typically asks that copies be forwarded to the governor, state legislature and state education agencies.

Other trustees discussed related state bills and litigation during the meeting, including references to AB 84, AB 89 and other pending legislation; some trustees expressed support for parental-privacy and sports-focused measures. No formal board action adopting a Title IX policy or resolution occurred at this meeting; the recorded action was a direction to place the item on the August agenda and to have County Counsel prepare draft language.