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Columbia County residents ask commissioners to press schools on locker-room and sports policies under Title IX
Summary
Multiple residents used the June 11 Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting public comment period to urge the county to push local school boards to restrict access to girls' locker rooms and sports teams, invoking Title IX and proposing withholding tax dollars; no formal county action was taken.
Several Columbia County residents used the June 11 Board of County Commissioners public comment period to ask county leaders to press local school boards to change policies on student access to locker rooms and athletic teams, citing Title IX and threats to withhold funding.
Chris Bridal, a Deer Island resident, told the board he wanted a county resolution “to get rid of the mental illness in the junior high over here,” and asked the county to include penalties for what he described as boys using girls’ locker rooms and participating on girls’ sports teams. Bridal also said, “I pay $8,000 in property taxes. I don't want to go into the school celebrating mental illness.”
Other speakers echoed Bridal’s concerns. Rave, who identified themself as a Columbia City resident, said, “I agree with everything Chris said,” and asked the board to consider using funding leverage against school districts. Dan Baer said he was “here in support of Chris.” Renee Noling and Rita Biggs likewise said they worried about the effect of current school practices on girls’ privacy, student focus and community outcomes.
Speakers variously invoked Title IX, federal law and state law in arguing that local school boards should bar boys from girls’ locker rooms and from girls’ sports teams. Bridal said he had “checked” and believed the school board “has the authority to set policy over there” and urged the commissioners to write a resolution to impose penalties, including withholding tax dollars. Rave said she did not know how the funding flow works between county and school districts and encouraged commissioners to explore whether withholding money is possible.
The comments came during the meeting’s public comment period; the Board of County Commissioners did not take action on the requests during the June 11 meeting. Commissioners proceeded to the consent agenda after public comment. The meeting record does not show any formal direction to staff or a vote related to drafting a resolution on school locker-room or athletic policies.
Context: public comment at county commission meetings is a forum for residents to ask the board to act or to express concerns; the transcript shows several residents urged county intervention on school policy, but it does not record any formal county action or an explicit legal analysis of whether the county could withhold funds from school districts.
