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Evergreen board approves WIAA membership after debate over boys competing in girls sports
Summary
The Evergreen School District Board of Directors approved Resolution 7066 to retain membership in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association after a board debate centered on eligibility rules allowing males to compete in girls athletics; one director voted no.
The Evergreen School district board voted to approve Resolution 7066, keeping the district in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), after a debate about eligibility rules for girls athletics.
The measure, approving WIAA membership for district schools, passed after a motion and vote. Director Wilson registered opposition during the roll call; the final tally beyond that single recorded dissent was not specified in the meeting transcript.
Board members discussed the trade-offs of remaining in the WIAA, which governs athletic competition for public and participating private schools in Washington. Director Wilson said the association and state agencies were disregarding federal law and Title IX protections for “biological girls,” arguing that allowing “biological boys to compete in girls athletics” undermined girls’ opportunities and safe spaces. “They have chosen to disregard this law and disregard biological girls and allow biological boys to compete in girls athletics and invade their safe spaces such as locker rooms,” Wilson said.
Other directors stressed that the district’s four high schools rely on WIAA membership to permit students to participate in regional and state athletics. One director said withdrawing from the WIAA would prevent district students from competing. Several board members noted the legal issue is unsettled: board members said the application of Title IX in this context has not been definitively adjudicated by the U.S. Supreme Court and that state law currently governs the district’s obligations.
The board moved Resolution 7066 from the superintendent consent agenda to the regular agenda before taking the vote. Director Perkins made the motion to remove the item from consent; the motion to approve Resolution 7066 was later made and seconded. During the discussion, directors emphasized they wanted to preserve athletic opportunities for “hundreds of students” who participate in WIAA-supported programs.
After the vote the board moved on to its policy-reading agenda item and recessed for a scheduled break followed by a workshop.
The transcript does not specify the exact vote count other than the recorded opposing vote and does not record any formal amendments to the resolution.
