VIDEO: Families at center of WA transgender sports debate face-to-face with OSPI

It was the first time the families have had the opportunity to share their story with the superintendent, who has been openly critical of them in public

Carleen Johnson
The Center Square Washington

Two months after Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal told The Center Square he would meet with two female athletes who’ve become the face of the effort to protects girls’ sports in Washington, Reykdal made good on that promise and met with the young women and their parents on Wednesday.

As previously reported by The Center Square, Reykdal has refused to comply with federal directives from the Trump administration to keep biological males out of girls’ sports and private spaces.

“If the law changes because our state courts strike it down or change it, we’re going to uphold the law,” Reykdal told The Center Square in January. “If a federal court does it and goes through the process, we’ll uphold the law.”

On Wednesday, 16-year-old Frances Staudt, a student at Tumwater High School, and 16-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson, a student at Eastmont High School in Wenatchee, along with their parents, met with Reykdal in Tumwater. It was the first time the families have had the opportunity to share their story with the superintendent, who has been openly critical of them in public.

“I think it’s just important to show him that we’re not just going to back down,” said Ahnaleigh Wilson in an interview with The Center Square after the families met with Reykdal. “I think that’s kind of what he’s expecting, and I think he was honestly surprised that we haven’t stopped.”

Frances Staudt said one of the main things she hoped for was an apology from Reykdal for suggesting during an interview with The Center Square, that she had made derogatory statements about a male athlete she refused to play against in a Tumwater High School basketball game.

“Because of that I was investigated for harassment and bullying by the Tumwater School District and the WIAA,” Staudt said. “The words that I said that put me under this investigation and that he claimed were derogatory was ‘you’re a man’ and that was seen as an issue in the eyes of these people.”

Staudt said she pushed Reykdal about that in the Wednesday meeting.

“He said that he did not read up fully on the situation that he read it in the newspaper,” Staudt said. “And to have a state superintendent making these claims about me at the time, [when I was] a 15-year-old girl….that is awful to publicly say. And when I asked for an apology, he said that it would create more issues for him and I. And he wants to protect my safety.”

She pressed him further for an apology but did not receive one.

“And he said that he will think about it,” she said. “I think if you’re going to make these claims you might want to read up on the facts and if you say that you read it in the newspaper and aren’t completely sure of what happened, then I think you should be careful about going and saying that on a public platform about a 15-year-old girl who you’re supposed to be protecting.”

The girls’ parents also shared thoughts after the meeting with Reykdal.

“In this meeting I did bring up to all three of them sitting there that my prayer is that this doesn’t get worse,” Aimee Staudt said . “That one of these girls isn’t sexually assaulted, raped, or have something devastating and awful happen to them. Whether it’s a horrible injury on the court that they can’t recover from or something in the locker room or bathroom that takes place. I pity them if that ever does because there will be an army of people that will rise up and protect these girls like no one has ever seen before.”

Ahnaleigh’s mom, Elizabeth Wilson grew emotional, sharing about what their families have been through and her desire in the meeting for Reykdal to hear their hearts.

“We talked about how difficult the situation has been for all of our families,” said Wilson, adding she hopes Washington voters will support the initiative to protect girls sports come November. “It’s because they [the girls] know truth. They know what is right. And in this process, it’s been amazing to see other young girls, other parents finally speaking up. Before it was just Ahnaleigh as an eighth grader, 14 years old, to use her voice here in Washington State. And then Frances came and then we had more girls contacting us. These are our precious girls. We have a duty to back them up. It’s important. This is for your future daughters, and your granddaughters.”

The girls’ fathers told The Center Square they believe some parents are ‘redlining’ over this issue.

This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.

Under the Grok Lens

Analysis created with Grok

This independent analysis was created with Grok, an AI model from xAI. It is not written or edited by ClarkCountyToday.com and is provided to help readers evaluate the article’s sourcing and context.

Quick summary

In March 2026, Washington high school athletes Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson, along with their parents, met with Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal to discuss the state’s transgender athlete policy. The families shared concerns about the impact of the policy on girls’ sports and expressed frustration over past public comments made by Reykdal, while advocating for protections ahead of a potential November ballot initiative.

What Grok notices

Centers on the direct meeting between high school athletes and the state’s top education official, highlighting the human impact of statewide athletic policies.
Uses direct quotes to describe the families’ frustration with past investigations and their desire for an apology, adding a personal dimension to the policy debate.
Connects the local situation to broader state and federal legal tensions regarding Title IX and how biological sex is treated in competitive sports.
Notes the role of upcoming voter initiatives, showing that the resolution of this conflict may eventually involve the electorate directly.
Integrates perspectives on competitive fairness and female athlete protections which help readers understand why some families are pushing for policy changes.

Questions worth asking

How might state athletics policies balance inclusion goals with the principles of fairness and safety specifically for female athletes?
In what ways could public remarks by education officials influence local school investigations or the social climate for students?
What role should voter initiatives play in deciding complex school policy disputes, and what are the potential consequences of such votes?
How do the experiences of female athletes in Washington compare to those in states that have implemented different sports participation rules?
What steps can schools take to provide meaningful support to all students while addressing concerns about athletic competitive advantage?