Text of WA IL 638 (2026)

Code Rev/CC:jlb 1 I-4972.1/25 Initiative Measure No. IL26-638 Filed June 2, 2025 AN ACT Relating to defending equity in interscholastic sports; amending RCW 28A.600.200 and 28A.640.020; adding a new section to chapter 28A.600 RCW; and creating new sections. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The people find: (1) Existing Washington state law and school district policies require students to undergo a routine physical examination prior to participation in interscholastic sports, which includes documentation of the student's sex assigned at birth; (2) This established requirement provides a reliable and medically verified basis to determine a student's biological sex; (3) Protecting the integrity and fairness of women's interscholastic sports necessitates that students compete in athletic activities consistent with the gender assigned at birth; and (4) Leveraging the existing physical examination process to verify biological sex ensures equity, safety, and competitive balance in sports intended exclusively for female students, while respecting the rights and opportunities of all participants. Sec. 2. RCW 28A.600.200 and 2012 c 155 s 2 are each amended to read as follows: (1) Each school district board of directors is hereby granted and shall exercise the authority to control, supervise and regulate the conduct of interschool athletic activities and other interschool extracurricular activities of an athletic, cultural, social or recreational nature for students of the district. A board of Code Rev/CC:jlb 2 I-4972.1/25 directors may delegate control, supervision and regulation of any such activity to the Washington interscholastic activities association or any other voluntary nonprofit entity and compensate such entity for services provided, subject to the ((following)) conditions((: (1))) outlined in this section. (2) The voluntary nonprofit entity shall not discriminate in connection with employment or membership upon its governing board, or otherwise in connection with any function it performs, on the basis of race, creed, national origin, sex or marital status((; (2)(a))) (3) Any rules and policies adopted and applied by the voluntary nonprofit entity that governs student participation in any interschool activity shall be written((;)) and (((b) Such rules and policies shall)) provide for notice of the reasons and a fair opportunity to contest such reasons prior to a final determination to reject a student's request to participate in or to continue in an interschool activity. (((3)(a))) (4) The association or other voluntary nonprofit entity is authorized to impose penalties for rules violations upon coaches, school district administrators, school administrators, and students, as appropriate, to punish the offending party or parties((; (b) No)), but no penalty may be imposed on a student or students unless the student or students knowingly violated the rules or unless a student gained a significant competitive advantage or materially disadvantaged another student through a rule violation((; (c))). Any penalty that is imposed for rules violations must be proportional to the offense((; (d) Any)), and any decision resulting in a penalty shall be considered a decision of the school district conducting the activity in which the student seeks to participate or was participating and may be appealed pursuant to RCW 28A.600.205 and 28A.645.010 through 28A.645.030. Code Rev/CC:jlb 3 I-4972.1/25 (((4))) (5) The school districts, Washington interscholastic activities association districts, and leagues that participate in the interschool extracurricular activities shall not impose more severe penalties for rule violations than can be imposed by the rules of the association or the voluntary nonprofit entity. (((5))) (6) Policies, procedures, rules, and other requirements adopted by a school district or a voluntary nonprofit entity in accordance with this section must conform with section 3 of this act. (7) As used in this section and RCW 28A.600.205, "knowingly" means having actual knowledge of or acting with deliberate ignorance or reckless disregard for the prohibition involved. NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.600 RCW to read as follows: (1) Policies, procedures, rules, and other requirements adopted in accordance with RCW 28A.600.200 by a school district board of directors or a voluntary nonprofit entity must prohibit biologically male students from competing with and against female students in athletic activities with separate classifications for male and female students if the athletic activity is: (a) Intended for female students only; and (b) An individual or team competition activity. (2) A student who elects to participate in individual or team competition activities intended for female students only governed under subsection (1) of this section shall provide, as part of the required routine sports physical examination, a health examination and consent form or other statement signed by the student's personal health care provider that verifies the student's biological sex, relying only on one or more of the following: The student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels. Code Rev/CC:jlb 4 I-4972.1/25 Sec. 4. RCW 28A.640.020 and 2023 c 242 s 3 are each amended to read as follows: (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop regulations and guidelines to eliminate sex discrimination as it applies to public school employment, counseling and guidance services to students, recreational and athletic activities for students, access to course offerings, and in textbooks and instructional materials used by students. (a) Specifically with respect to public school employment, all schools shall be required to: (i) Maintain credential requirements for all personnel without regard to sex; (ii) Make no differentiation in pay scale on the basis of sex; (iii) Assign school duties without regard to sex except where such assignment would involve duty in areas or situations, such as but not limited to a shower room, where persons might be disrobed; (iv) Provide the same opportunities for advancement to males and females; and (v) Make no difference in conditions of employment including, but not limited to, hiring practices, leaves of absence, hours of employment, and assignment of, or pay for, instructional and noninstructional duties, on the basis of sex. (b) Specifically with respect to counseling and guidance services for students, they shall be made available to all students equally. All certificated personnel shall be required to stress access to all career and vocational opportunities to students without regard to sex. (c) Specifically with respect to recreational and athletic activities, they shall be offered to all students without regard to sex, except as provided in section 3 of this act. Schools may provide separate teams for each sex. Schools which provide the following shall do so with no disparities based on sex: Equipment and supplies; medical care; services and insurance; transportation and per diem allowances; opportunities to receive coaching and Code Rev/CC:jlb 5 I-4972.1/25 instruction; laundry services; assignment of game officials; opportunities for competition, publicity and awards; scheduling of games and practice times including use of courts, gyms, and pools: PROVIDED, That such scheduling of games and practice times shall be determined by local administrative authorities after consideration of the public and student interest in attending and participating in various recreational and athletic activities. Each school which provides showers, toilets, or training room facilities for athletic purposes shall provide comparable facilities for both sexes. Such facilities may be provided either as separate facilities or shall be scheduled and used separately by each sex. The superintendent of public instruction shall also be required to develop a student survey to distribute every three years to each local school district in the state to determine student interest for male/female participation in specific sports. (d) Specifically with respect to course offerings, all classes shall be required to be available to all students without regard to sex: PROVIDED, That separation is permitted within any class during sessions on sex education or gym classes. (e) Specifically with respect to textbooks and instructional materials, which shall also include, but not be limited to, reference books and audiovisual materials, they shall be required to adhere to the guidelines developed by the superintendent of public instruction to implement the intent of this chapter: PROVIDED, That this subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the introduction of material deemed appropriate by the instructor for educational purposes. (2)(a) By December 31, 1994, the superintendent of public instruction shall develop criteria for use by school districts in developing sexual harassment policies as required under (b) of this subsection. The criteria shall address the subjects of grievance procedures, remedies to victims of sexual harassment, disciplinary actions against violators of the policy, and other subjects at the discretion of the superintendent of public instruction. Disciplinary Code Rev/CC:jlb 6 I-4972.1/25 actions must conform with collective bargaining agreements and state and federal laws. The superintendent of public instruction also shall supply sample policies to school districts upon request. (b) By June 30, 1995, every school district shall adopt and implement a written policy concerning sexual harassment. The policy shall apply to all school district employees, volunteers, parents, and students, including, but not limited to, conduct between students. (c) School district policies on sexual harassment shall be reviewed by the superintendent of public instruction considering the criteria established under (a) of this subsection as part of the monitoring process established in RCW 28A.640.030. (d) The school district's sexual harassment policy shall be conspicuously posted throughout each school building, and provided to each employee. A copy of the policy shall appear in any publication of the school or school district setting forth the rules, regulations, procedures, and standards of conduct for the school or school district. This requirement as it relates to students, parents, and guardians may be satisfied by using the model student handbook language in RCW 28A.300.286. (e) Each school shall develop a process for discussing the district's sexual harassment policy. The process shall ensure the discussion addresses the definition of sexual harassment and issues covered in the sexual harassment policy. (f) "Sexual harassment" as used in this section means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, sexually motivated physical contact, or other verbal or physical conduct or communication of a sexual nature if: (i) Submission to that conduct or communication is made a term or condition, either explicitly or implicitly, of obtaining an education or employment; (ii) Submission to or rejection of that conduct or communication by an individual is used as a factor in decisions affecting that individual's education or employment; or Code Rev/CC:jlb 7 I-4972.1/25 (iii) That conduct or communication has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's educational or work performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational or work environment. NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act may be known and cited as the defending equity in interscholastic sports act. NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected. --- END ---