ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - At its Sept. 23 meeting, the Elk Grove Unified School District board heard hours of public comment on a proposed resolution addressing Title IX and girls’ sports.

Trustee Heidi Moore introduced the measure, titled “Title IX and Fairness in Girls’ Interscholastic Sports,” proposing it be placed on a future agenda for discussion. The resolution called on the district to support protections for female athletes under Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in education programs, including athletics.

Many speakers during public comment backed Moore’s proposal, arguing that transgender athletes in girls’ sports create unfair advantages. Supporters, who consisted of parents and community members, thanked Moore for raising the issue and highlighted concerns about safety and opportunities for girls in sports.

“In recent years, there have been troubling incidents that showed clearly what can go wrong when girls are forced to compete directly with boys and their strength, speed, sight or power put them at risk,” one parent said.

Speakers also referred to President Donald Trump’s executive orders on transgender athletes and cited biological differences between boys and girls.

“Boys and girls are built differently. This isn’t just opinion; it is biology. Boys typically have weight and muscle mass, higher bone density and stronger upper body strength,” another speaker said.

 

Supporters, including parents and community members, thanked trustee Heidi Moore for raising Title IX violation concerns and highlighted safety issues for girls in sports. Photo by Idaly Valencia

Others opposed the resolution, saying it could harm transgender students.

“As a clinician, I see how depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation rise when students are cut off from belonging,” said Katie Houston, who stated she was a licensed mental health therapist.

Before the vote, Moore urged her fellow school board members to vote in support of moving forward with this conversation at the next meeting.

“This is about doing what is right for the girls, who do not have a voice. I am their voice today and I hope you will join me,” she said.

After the testimony, the board voted 7-1, Moore being the only one in support, against placing the resolution on a future agenda, citing looking to the federal court’s decisions with the ongoing national legal battles over the issue.

Afterward, Moore wrote on social media that her resolution was meant “to bring awareness to rights afforded to girls and women under Title IX, to advocate for fairness and safety for female-student athletes, and to call upon governing bodies and individuals in the state of California to protect our female-student athletes.”

 

The Elk Grove Unified School Board meeting drew in a full room the evening of Sept. 23 where the board heard hours of public comment on a proposed resolution, by trustee Heidi Moore, addressing Title IX and girls’ sports. Photo by Idaly Valencia

Moore also noted similar resolutions have passed in 15 other school districts in California.

Although the board declined to move the measure forward, supporters said the discussion raised awareness in the community.

“It’s not fair for a female body to compete with a male; otherwise, we would get to do co-ed,” said California Family Council President and resident Greg Burt.

Burt told the Elk Grove Citizen that trustees should take a stronger role when residents raise concerns and credited Moore for starting the conversation.

“This is not just isolated to Elk Grove,” he said, pointing to lawsuits that have been filed by high school athletes in the state for Title IX violations.

Burt also noted recent boycotts by girls’ teams, including Bakersfield Christian High School and Patriot High School in Jurupa Valley, over competing against transgender athletes, as well as a walkout at a Temecula school where girls said they felt unsafe in locker rooms as instances in which girls are taking a stance against biological males in girls’ sports.

 

California Family Council President and resident Greg Burt spoke at the Elk Grove Unified School Board meeting Sept. 23 during public comments. Photo by Idaly Valencia

“Hopefully this gave the community an opportunity to speak up,” Burt said.

For now, Elk Grove Unified School District will wait on federal court decisions before taking further action and the measure will not be considered in upcoming meetings.