By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado
DENVER — A letter signed by some 60 school district administrators and school board members from across the state is calling on the Colorado High School Activities Association to come into compliance with a recent Trump administration order around biological boys competing in girls’ sports.
“The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) must immediately adopt rules and practices to ensure that boys are not permitted to compete as girls in girls’ sports,” the letter reads in part. “This action is not only a matter of safety and fairness for our female athletes, but also aligns with recent federal directives that reinforce the protection of women’s sports under Title IX.”
Names on the letter include board members who have previously called for similar policies around girls’ sports, including Thompson School District Board of Education member Nancy Rumfelt, who has recently been in the news for wearing a shirt to a board meeting that simply said: “Real Women Rock.”
The t-shirt sparked controversy between Rumfelt and her fellow board members, and caused about 70 people to show up at a recent board meeting to speak to the topic transgendered students competing in sports. After the public comment, the board passed a resolution that reaffirmed the district’s commitment to “the safety and emotional well-being” all of its students, adding the district would continue to follow state and federal law in regards to protected classes.
However, that commitment may well run afoul of the recent order on the matter from President Trump.
“On February 5, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ Executive Order, explicitly directing the U.S. Department of Education to interpret Title IX as prohibiting the participation of males in female sports categories at schools receiving federal funding,” the letter to CHSAA continues. “The Order states it ‘is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities,’ emphasizing the need to protect the integrity of women’s sports from policies that permit male participation.”
According to Bylaw 300 in the CHSAA handbook, “The Colorado High School Activities Association recognizes the right of transgender student athletes to participate in interscholastic activities free from unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
Those school district officials signing the letter said the implications for CHSAA are “unmistakable, and that by maintaining policies that permit boys to compete as girls, CHSAA risks exposing Colorado schools to federal investigations, the potential loss of critical funding, and legal liability under Title IX.”