Mat-Su School Board approves policy regarding transgender athletes participation in school sports

The Mat-Su School Board passed board policy 6145 during its meeting Wednesday night in Palmer.

The policy is centered around the eligibility of transgender athletes in the participation of extracurricular school sports. Eligibility to participate on teams specific to boys or girls sports is determined by the athlete’s gender at birth, according to the policy. A focus was placed on the fact the policy bars transgender athletes from competing in girls school sport. This does not apply to co-ed sports.

The policy passed 6-1.

Board member Dwight Probasco cast the lone no vote.

“I believe this policy is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist right now,” Probasco said.

Probasco reiterated his opposition of the policy, which was also discussed during a school board meeting on June 1.

“I disagreed with it and I stated my reasons why and I will state them again,” Probasco said. “I do not believe that this needs to be a part of how we select our athletes to participate in respective sports.”

Probasco also questioned the transparency of the process that preceded the vote.

“On something like this, does the public not have a right to know that this policy that is being voted on tonight is being worked on, is being discussed? I learned about it the Thursday before June 1 when the agenda came out,” Probasco said.

The vote followed an emotional stretch of public commentary that included both opposition and support of the policy.

“I am begging you not to put forward this incredibly harmful policy,” Jessica Young said during public comment at the meeting.

Amy Henry spoke in favor of the policy during public comment.

“The hard science says men and women do not have an even playing field,” Henry said.

School board president Ryan Ponder addressed the issue following public comment.

“I would like to thank all of those who came out for public comment. Public comment is what allows the public process to go forward as a democracy. I really appreciate that. It was brought to my attention that and explained that there were a number of individuals tonight that came forth and came out this night and we really appreciate you coming forth and doing that. With that I did state and would like to state what I mentioned two weeks ago, the proposed amendment of BP 6145 is designed to champion women and girls by ensuring an even playing field in athletics. I believe that every individual male or female has the right to try out, participate or play sports. Furthermore, the participation has historically always been on an even playing field allowing women to compete against women and men to compete against men. Adopting this proposed policy will ensure the even playing field for girls will be maintained as much as it can be,” Ponder said.

Board Policy 6145 was introduced at a school board meeting June 1 after it was proposed by the MSBSD Policy Committee. Most members of the school board spoke in favor of the proposed board policy during that meeting.

Board member Jubilee Underwood stated during the June 1 meeting that as a woman who herself played sports on co-ed teams because her school didn’t have enough men and women, “it was always the males that dominated and that we had to play against,” saying that if she’d had the option, would have chosen to play men and women’s teams separately.

“It wasn’t equality and it wasn’t fair,” Underwood said. “I feel like it’s a war on women, on women’s sports,” she continued, then suggested forming transgender sports teams. “It’s not discrimination, it’s equality…People could participate however they want to participate and then they don’t get excluded from the sports they want to play in,” she stated before adding that she was in favor of the amendment.

The policy mirrors the wording of Sen. Shelley Hughes, who sponsored SB 140 “An Act relating to school athletics, recreation, athletic teams, and sports,” which similarly called for a ban against transgender women competing in women’s sports. The bill did not pass.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com. Frontiersman reporter Katie Stavick contributed.