COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The Colorado Springs District 11 (D11) Board of Education has passed a new policy requiring student-athletes to compete based on their biological sex assigned at birth. The decision aligns D11 with a growing number of school districts across the country enacting similar measures.
The vote took place during a special board meeting on Wednesday night, with six members voting in favor and one opposing. With this move, D11 becomes the second school district in El Paso County to adopt such a policy.
In addition to the athletics measure, the board also passed a separate policy banning most flags from district classrooms, with exceptions for the U.S. flag, Colorado state flag and flags representing military institutions.
Supporters argue the policy ensures fairness and safety in competitive sports.
“I voted to support both policies… to ensure that our biological female athletes have a fair and level playing field in competitive athletic sports,” said D11 Board President Parth Melpakam.
The new rule classifies school sports into three categories: male, female, or co-ed. Participation, along with access to locker rooms and hotel accommodations for travel, will be restricted based on students’ biological sex.
Melpakam emphasized that the policy is intended to protect, not marginalize, students.
"I'm a father of a daughter, and I want to make sure my daughter and other females also have a neutral level playing field,” he said. “This is not about taking away the rights of any groups."
However, opponents say the policy could have harmful consequences for transgender and nonbinary students.
Ollie Glessner, advocacy director of Inside Out Youth Service, works with the LGBTQ+ youth closely, and spoke at the board meeting. Glessner says policies like this one send a message that some students do not belong.
“We are not a political statement. We are not a political issue. We're people,” they said. “So the idea that erasing us or silencing us is a matter of neutrality really just means that they're trying to maintain a status quo of cisgender and heterosexual power.”
Glessner added that the policy targets less than 1% of the student population and could further endanger vulnerable youth.
“We're making policies that target again, less than 1% of the population, we are telling those people that they are not part of our district,"said Glessner. "We are telling them, 'Hey, I don't represent you. I represent these people who agree with me.' That is not a message that any elected official, especially a non partisan elected official should be sending.”
Questions remain about how the policy aligns with Colorado law. Melpakam acknowledged that legal clarity may ultimately come from the courts.
“That has to be resolved by the courts,” he said. “And the courts ultimately will provide the guidance.”
The policy is set to go into effect ahead of the next school year.
To read the full policy, click here.
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