COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — On Thursday night, District 49’s school board approved a new policy that classifies student sports teams strictly by biological sex, a decision supporters say is meant to ensure fairness, privacy, and safety for female athletes.
The policy was passed by majority vote following public comment.
District 49 Director Debra Schmitd, who voted in favor of the measure, emphasized its impact on competitive equity in girls’ sports.
“In practical terms, a gold medal becomes a silver, a scholarship worth $20,000 to $50,000 annually slips away, and world records are broken by trans women who have a pre-transition edge with male DNA,” said Schmitd.
Supporters argue the policy protects the integrity of school athletics. Critics, however, say it restricts participation for transgender students and sends a harmful message about inclusion.
“We will probably never have to exercise this policy; the incidents of this are extremely rare,” said Board Treasurer Mike Heil. “But just having this conversation and putting this policy out there still does harm, because you’re messaging to a significant proportion of our community that we don’t value them. And I don’t think that is who we should be as a board.”
The measure originally started as a resolution to define access to school bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams based on sex assigned at birth. Over time, it evolved into a broader policy focused solely on student athletics.
Under the new rule, students must join teams according to their biological sex, meaning boys and girls will no longer compete together in most school sports.
Jacquelyn Adair, a community member who supported the policy, said it's part of a long history of female athletes fighting for equal treatment.
“They were not even allowed to be in the Olympics at all originally, and they had to fight to get in there. And in 1900, they got their right to get in there, and now they’re fighting for their rights again,” she said. “I understand that transgender students want their rights too, and they deserve rights, but we need to find a middle ground, and this isn’t the middle ground.”
Board Vice President Jamilynn D’Avola said the specifics of enforcement are still being developed.
“There was some concern out there, ‘How are you going to apply it or follow it?’ And that is in the process,” she said.
Not everyone agrees with the decision. Lindsey Lee, who spoke in opposition to the policy, urged the board to consider more individualized approaches.
“Are we relying on self report? That’s where they get boxed in with a policy like this,” she said. “I just really feel strongly that these things should be handled sensitively on a case-by-case basis.”
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D49 files lawsuit after passing policy that recognizes two sexes in sports
School District 49 is filing suit against the state claiming Colorado laws are keeping the district from being able to enforce its new policy on students' biological sex in sports.
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