Camas School District Superintendent John Anzalone says none of the roughly dozen Camas High School girls cross country runners who walked off the starting line Tuesday will face discipline for their protest.
The runners left the line when the gun fired at a meet against Battle Ground, refusing to compete against a male teammate who switched from the boys team to the girls team last month. The runner had finished 76th in a boys race before the switch. Running against girls, he has since won a varsity meet and placed second in two others.
Anzalone, speaking partly as a parent, did not take a position on whether the male athlete should compete against girls. But he defended the protesting runners’ right to walk off without consequence.
“The girls are entitled to handle this however is best for them, and I was at the meet and it was peacefully done. And of course, we’ll support whatever they want to do,” Anzalone said. “I felt that this wasn’t just about supporting and protecting [the male runner]. This was really about supporting and providing that space for the girls who did walk off to do so and not feel any repercussions. And of course, some of them looked very sad. I think some of them were very conflicted. But they’re also teenagers. They’re still children.”
Anzalone said he has found the controversy personally difficult to watch unfold.
“It’s always hard to see when students are upset, let alone our families. And I know this issue has polarized our country for a long time, and this has probably added to that, right,” he said. “And so, as a dad, it’s always hard to see your own kids or any kids in the middle of something like this. And that’s probably been the most heartbreaking for me, is to see certain students really kind of in the middle of this, right? They’re kids. So that’s been challenging, and that’s always gonna be hard.”
The protest followed a similar scene the previous Saturday at a meet in Arlington, Washington, where parents openly voiced objections to the arrangement. One parent, speaking separately about the controversy, declined to be identified, saying he didn’t want to talk because “I don’t want my house burned down.” One girl who protested last month said friends stopped speaking to her afterward.
The Camas team’s next meet is the Greater St. Helen’s League district meet on October 21, which allows only seven varsity runners per team. A parent of one of the protesting runners said she is unsure how the girls will handle that meet, but the male runner’s continued participation will likely bump a female teammate from the varsity lineup.
Anzalone said the district will not intervene to prevent that outcome.
“As long as WIAA policy allows [the biological male] to run, and she’s eligible to run, she’ll continue running. Nothing’s changed,” Anzalone said. “We don’t make political stances as a school district. We just won’t, and we can’t. And so, as long as the policy stands, we’re going to follow the policy.”
Under current Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules, students may compete on teams consistent with their gender identity, and the male runner’s midseason switch broke no rules. That could change after the November 3 election, when Washington voters will decide Initiative 638, which would require K-12 students to compete on teams matching their biological sex. A spokesperson for Let’s Go Washington, the group backing the measure, said it would take effect 30 days after the election, though certification delays could push that back. Cross country season will be over by then.
Anzalone said the district would follow whatever rules are ultimately in place.
“I’m at a point where I have to stand by policy and by law,” he said. “And like I said earlier, if those change or go in a different direction, we’ll follow that.”
The Camas School District issued a written statement Wednesday addressing the dispute:
“Camas School District recognizes that students and community members hold differing views about athletic eligibility and have the right to express those views peacefully. Our responsibility is to ensure that school-sponsored events remain safe and respectful for all participants, staff, and spectators. As a Washington public school district and member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), Camas follows applicable state law and WIAA eligibility rules. RCW 28A.642 prohibits discrimination in public schools based on gender identity and gender expression, and current WIAA rules permit students to participate in athletics consistent with their gender identity. The district does not set these eligibility standards independently. We will continue to prioritize student safety, privacy, and well-being. We do not discuss individual students’ eligibility, personal circumstances, or potential disciplinary matters.”
