Two amendments that would restructure the ways in which transgender students are allowed to compete in middle and high school athletics are expected to come up for a vote in April.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s current policy states that “all students have the opportunity to participate in WIAA athletics and/or activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity.”

One of the proposed amendments, brought forward by 13 Washington school districts and Lynden Christian School, would amend the language to state that participation in girls sports’ and girls’ divisions of sports is restricted to students assigned female at birth.

The second amendment, submitted by seven school districts, would call for creation of an open division to be created for students wishing to compete according to their gender identity as opposed to their “assigned sex.”

An explanation of the amendment reads, “By designating an open division category for sports, this amendment will preserve the equality of opportunity to participate in athletics while simultaneously creating a delineating category for different genders: boys vs. boys; girls vs. girls; and transgender vs. transgender or transgender vs. nonbinary.”

The submission of both amendment proposals comes as transgender competition in female athletics continues to hit national headlines. Washington’s 2024 2A/3A/4A high school track and field championships at Mount Tahoma High School were the site of one such controversy when an East Valley Spokane transgender student won the 2A girls 400-meter dash.

“The winning athlete in the race had competed as a boy in previous seasons, and the WIAA policy resulted in diminished achievements for girls in the race and those that failed to qualify,” the proposal states.

Another 14 amendments to the WIAA handbook also will be voted on. Other amendments include two-game increases in the regular season contest limits for baseball, softball and soccer; the introduction of an eight-goal mercy rule after 50 minutes of play; suspension rules for baseball coaches after pitch count violations; changes to WIAA transfer eligibility rules; and a potential 25% increase in WIAA membership fees.

The sanctioning of girls flag football also makes its return to the vote for the second-consecutive year after narrowly failing earlier this year.

The assembly has the authority to make changes during the Winter Coalition Jan. 27, 2025. The voting period is scheduled for April 9-18.