Federal Investigation Opens Into Camas School District Over Title IX Concerns

The controversy involving a Camas High School cross-country runner who moved from the boys’ team to the girls’ team is continuing after the season ended.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into whether Washington’s Camas School District violated Title IX.

Parents and members of the girls’ team have alleged that, during an away meet last month, the runner entered a hotel room used by three female teammates and took an ice bath in the bathroom. They have also raised allegations of sexual harassment and concerns about the athletes’ privacy and safety.

Some parents say the district mishandled their complaints. They allege that an independent investigator did not take steps to protect the girls and instead questioned whether they were biased against transgender people.

The investigation follows the runner’s midseason move from the boys’ team to the girls’ team. In his first race as a boy, he placed 76th in a junior varsity meet. After joining the girls’ team, he won a varsity race, a result that prevented female athletes from advancing to regional and state competitions.

The runner’s participation also prompted three protests. Female athletes, including about a dozen of his teammates, walked away from the starting line after the race began rather than compete. Battle Ground High School’s Elise Bierer ended her season by leaving the line at the district meet.

A Title IX violation could have serious consequences for the district, including the possible loss of federal funding. Superintendent John Anzalone said he was confident the district had acted appropriately and did not expect the investigation to find violations. If investigators do identify a mistake, he said, the district would address it.

Anzalone has described the ice-bath episode as overblown. He said district administrators had not known the team tradition was taking place and did not believe anything inappropriate had happened. He also said the runner stayed in a separate hotel room with his mother, rather than sharing a room with female teammates.

Asked about reports that one girl felt uncomfortable and left the room, Anzalone said his understanding was that she left when the runner entered. He added that the district could not oversee an activity it did not know about. He acknowledged that parents and athletes might be concerned about boys and girls taking part in an activity together, but said his main concern was that such activities happen in suitable settings with adult supervision.

The district has since changed its procedures so administrators are informed about team traditions and activities such as ice baths are supervised by adults. Anzalone said he might not have supported holding ice baths in hotel rooms, regardless of the athletes’ genders.

He also acknowledged that the district may not have done enough to support all students amid the conflict. Anzalone compared the challenge to caring for several children when one is going through a particularly difficult time, saying the district wanted to ensure other students did not feel overlooked.

He described the situation as difficult, saying that efforts to support one group of students could leave others feeling neglected.

Anzalone said the controversy has largely subsided at Camas High and that he hopes students can return their attention to schoolwork and athletics. He said it was upsetting that students felt they had to take on an activist role.

The superintendent said the district would cooperate fully with the federal investigation and provide requested documents. If new information emerges, he said, he would be prepared to respond, take responsibility or change course.

The cross-country season is over, but scrutiny of the Camas School District is not.