Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz said the district ‘is consulting with legal counsel to determine next steps, including potential legal challenges’

Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today

The La Center School District is preparing for a battle with the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) over a ruling delivered last week by the OSPI’s Equity and Civil Rights Office (ECR) on an allegation that the district discriminated against students and staff based on gender identity

On April 7, 2023, OSPI opened the investigation into the complaint, which was in response to the district’s policy on student pronouns.  On March 26, OSPI informed La Center Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz that the ECR ruled in favor of the complainant.

“We will not stand by while OSPI erodes parental authority and forces schools to act against families’ best interests,’’ Rosenkranz said in a statement provided to Clark County Today. “La Center School District is consulting with legal counsel to determine next steps, including potential legal challenges.

“Parents should not be sidelined in their children’s lives,’’ Rosenkranz stated. “We will continue to fight for policies that respect families, uphold constitutional protections, and protect students from harmful government overreach.’’

The complaint included two allegations:

• Allegation 1: The District discriminates against students and staff based on gender identity (all non-cisgender identities) by expressly prohibiting district staff from asking any student their gender pronouns.  

• Allegation 2: Whether the district’s Gender-Inclusive Schools policy and procedure complies with Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.642.080 and OSPI’s rules and guidelines to eliminate discrimination in Washington public schools on the basis of gender identity and expression.

“La Center School District rejects OSPI’s baseless claim that we have discriminated against students or families,’’ Rosenkranz said. “Our teachers, staff, and administrators treat all students with dignity and respect. OSPI’s findings are an insult to our district, our educators, and the parents who support policies that prioritize both student well-being and parental rights.

Rosenkranz asserted that OSPI’s conclusions impose alarming expectations on schools, including:

• Requiring schools to determine whether parents are “dangerous” for their children.

• Withholding critical information from parents regarding their child’s gender identity.

• Directing schools to facilitate gender transitioning without parental involvement.

• Mandating that teachers request and use pronouns for kindergarten students.

• Denying the role of parents as the primary educators of their children.

“OSPI believes the government — not parents — should decide what’s best for children. They refuse to acknowledge that parents are essential in guiding their children through complex issues, particularly those with potentially permanent consequences,’’ Rosenkranz said. “Their stance is not based on sound medical or psychological research but on ideology that disregards parental authority.

“We followed state law in drafting our Transgender Student Policy and Procedure (BP 3211/P) while ensuring that parents remained part of the process — something OSPI’s policy fails to do,’’ Rosenkranz added. “We have repeatedly attempted to engage OSPI in revising their flawed and overreaching policy, but they refused to collaborate. Instead, they doubled down on their misguided approach, dismissing legitimate concerns about parental rights and local control.’’

Background

In December 2022, Dr. Gene Sementi of RLR Consulting in Spokane, provided the district his final report on a review of the district’s preferred pronoun usage. In his report, Sementi found that no La Center students had their Civil Rights violated by the directive Rosenkranz shared with staff members in an email distributed on Oct. 28.

Despite that determination, the complaint was then forwarded to the La Center School Board and was addressed during a special meeting Tuesday (Jan. 10, 2023), during which board members heard passionate testimony from teachers, students and citizens. The board reviewed the matter and also forwarded it to OSPI for review.

“The La Center School District’s priority is, and always will be, to create a learning environment that supports all students,’’ Rosenkranz said in a statement provided to Clark County Today at the time. “As stated in an email to the staff, pronouns are a very complex issue. Students are more than welcome to share their pronouns with teachers if they choose, and we will honor that request. 

“When approached with an allegation of discrimination related to asking students about their pronouns, the La Center School District proactively initiated an independent investigation to be sure we were following applicable state laws and district policy,’’ Rosenkranz added. “The results of the investigation found no civil rights violations and no discrimination. We will continue to focus on providing a rich learning environment for all our students.”