Federal Title IX Shift Reaches Fife

A Federal Shift, Showing Up Locally

For most families, federal policy changes can feel far away. However, the recent Title IX rollback made by the US Department of Education is affecting schools here in Washington, including the nearby Fife School District.

The Department of Education put out a press release on April 6, 2026, titled U.S.  Department of Education Rescinds Illegal Title IX Resolution Agreements, describing the rollback.

Original Title IX Statute of 1972

It’s important to understand the original Title IX 1972 statute, in order to comprehend what this means. 

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, absent certain exceptions.” 

2024 Title IX Rule Expanded Definition of Sex

However, in 2024, the Biden Administration expanded the definition of sex to include “gender identity” rather than only biological sex. Schools were then required to enforce these new rules, or they faced federal consequences for Title IX violations.

The Department of Education press release included the following examples of violations, such as “improper use of preferred pronouns” or “asking questions about a student’s preferred ‘gender.’” 

Why this matters in Highline

Even though Fife is the district named in the press release, this is not just about Fife.

In the Highline School District, similar questions around Title IX interpretations have already been part of local conversations. Highline’s Policy and Procedure 3211 lays out how the district supports students around "gender identity."

Policy 3211 includes requiring the use of a student’s chosen name and pronouns, allowing access to bathroom and locker rooms that match their identity, and withholding personal information for student privacy. This includes parents, if the student chooses.

Those policies are still in place. They reflect Washington state guidance, which continues to include "gender identity" as part of nondiscrimination protections in schools.

Now the 2024 Title IX Rule has been Rolled Back

In January 2025, the Trump Administration ruled Title IX violations based on “gender identity” to be illegal and reverted the 2020 meaning of sex to biological sex only, thereby relieving schools of the burden of enforcement.

After the 2024 rule change, some schools created resolutions and agreements with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Now that the rules have shifted, federal officials say some of those past agreements were based on a broader reading of Title IX than the law actually supports.

For Fife, who has been at odds with the Biden rule change, and opts for the original Title IX intent, that means the federal government will no longer be watching or enforcing that agreement.

What actually changed 

At the heart of this is a shift in how Title IX is interpreted, but more questions and confusion remain. Are Title IX violations based on discrimination of "gender identity" legitimate, or illegal?

Federal officials say the law applies to discrimination based on sex, not "gender identity." This follows a 2025 court decision, State of Tennessee vs Cardona, that struck down a newer federal rule that had expanded those protections.

The Center Square quoted Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey. She said, “The Trump Administration is removing the unnecessary and unlawful burdens that prior Administrations imposed on schools in its relentless pursuit of a radical transgender agenda.” 

In everyday terms, schools like Fife will no longer be held to certain federal expectations around pronouns or gender identity that had been part of earlier agreements.

So where does that leave families?

It’s complex.

Federal rules are shifting, but Washington State law and local district policies are not changing in the same way. For example, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) just voted down proposed amendments that would have protected girls in sports. 

According to a Let's Go Washington press release, these amendments "would have established clear protections for girls in athletic competitions based on biological sex." They noted this makes two years in a row that WIAA voted down amendments to protect girls in sports.

The WIAA vote means a school district like Highline may continue doing exactly what it has been doing, even as federal oversight steps back.

For families, the day-to-day experience in schools may not look different right now. What has changed is more about who is setting the rules and who is enforcing them.

Bottom line: Fife’s agreement is ending, but the bigger picture is still unfolding. The federal direction is changing. Local policies like Highline’s are staying in place…for now. But families are left navigating both, which leaves our children hanging in the balance.