Secretary Linda McMahon

EXCLUSIVE: Department of Education launches Title IX probe into Camas School District in Washington state over boys in girls’ sports, alleged harassment The department’s Office for Civil Rights will determine whether the District is in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and also examine whether district officials failed to respond appropriately after receiving complaints about the alleged harassment. In October 2026, concerned parents and members of the Camas High School girls’ cross-country team alleged that a male student was allowed to compete alongside female athletes. The male athlete also allegedly entered a hotel room shared by three female athletes and took an ice bath in their bathroom and sexually harassed female athletes while traveling for an invitational meet–actions that, according to the Dept. of Education, "raised grave concerns about the female athletes’ privacy and personal safety." Parents also reported that the District failed to respond appropriately to their concerns about the alleged sexual harassment. They further allege that the school’s independent investigator asked the girls if they were “transphobic” and if they “hate trans people.” According to Clark County Today, the allegations stemmed from the team’s October 9–10 trip to Arlington for a meet at Lakewood High School. The outlet reported complaints involving both the hotel-room incident and conduct on the team’s charter bus. It also reported that the district obtained an outside investigation through its risk-management cooperative. The investigation follows Washington voters’ approval of I-638, the initiative prohibiting male students from competing in school athletic activities designated for girls. On Tuesday, the ACLU of Washington, Legal Voice, and Pacifica Law Group filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Washington Education Association, TransFamilies, and parents, seeking to overturn I-638 and block its enforcement. The initiative is scheduled to take effect December 3. “The voters in Washington stood up for women and girls in their state – and the Trump Administration stands with them as we continue to fight for safe and fair athletic opportunities across the country,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey. “Washingtonians sent a message: they are done with men in women's sports and want to keep young women safe. Camas School District should follow suit.” The investigation follows weeks of controversy surrounding a male Camas runner who began the season competing against boys before switching to girls’ races. He finished 76th in a boys’ junior-varsity race, but after switching divisions, finished second among 195 runners in a girls’ JV race, then won a girls’ varsity race, finishing ahead of 45 female runners. Female athletes protested his participation. Nearly half of Camas’s girls’ team walked away from the starting line on October 13. Two Skyview runners had staged a protest earlier in September. On October 21, a Battle Ground sophomore walked off alone in protest at the district championship, ending her postseason. The boy finished second in that race, placing the Skyview runners at third and fourth instead of second and third.