WA superintendent expects legal battle over transgender athletes to be settled in court
Jan 16, 2026, 12:39 PM | Updated: 6:00 pm
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025. (File photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)
(File photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)
Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said he expects the legal fight over transgender athlete rules to play out in the courts.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Tacoma, Vancouver, Cheney, and Sultan schools — four of 18 entities in 10 states accused of discriminating against women and girls.
“It’s a chilling effect for students that are diverse,” Reykdal said. “It’s toxic in that it doesn’t come with quality information and facts. In communities where people are sort of buying into the culture war, it makes it more tense, and it’s unnecessary.”
The school districts involved have not commented on the investigations.
WA superintendent: Going after individual districts ‘is kind of ridiculous’
Reykdal said going after individual districts “is kind of ridiculous” because in Washington state, there are 295 districts following state law.
“They’re doing this because they’re good stewards of legal procedure,” he said.
Reykdal expects the issue to be settled in court.
“In the same week that the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the future of Title IX, OCR is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities which reportedly allow males to compete in women’s sports,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said. “We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs.”
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School districts respond to investigation
KIRO Newsradio has reached out to all four of the Washington districts on the list.
Vancouver Public Schools responded Thursday, stating it was notified of the investigation.
“We are reviewing the allegations but are unable to provide further comment while the investigation is pending,” a spokesperson wrote to KIRO Newsradio.
Cheney Public Schools emailed the following statement to KIRO Newsradio on Thursday:
“We are aware of the investigation that the Department of Education initiated yesterday. At this time, we cannot comment on the substance of the investigation, but we intend to cooperate with the investigator throughout this process,” a spokesperson wrote.
Tacoma Public Schools also responded.
“Tacoma Public Schools received notice of an investigation from the U.S. Department of Education on January 14, 2026, referencing a complaint reportedly filed with the U.S. Department of Education on February 21, 2025. The January 14th letter is the first notification the district has received of this investigation or complaint,” a spokesperson stated in an email to KIRO Newsradio. “Tacoma Public Schools intends to provide the documentation requested in the letter. As a public school district in the State of Washington, we are required to follow the laws and certain guidance set forth by the State of Washington and the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).”
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
