A coalition of Colorado school districts reached a settlement with the state’s high school sports league that ensures the districts can enforce rules to protect girls’ sports from biological male trans athletes.
Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Col., announced the settlement in a post on X, Thursday.
“Biological men NEVER belong in biological women’s sports, period. The Colorado High School Activities Association finally made the right decision and will STOP penalizing school districts that protect women’s sports,” Crank wrote.
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Colorado’s District 49 led a lawsuit against the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) in May, challenging Colorado state laws and CHSAA bylaws that required schools to allow transgender student-athletes to participate in teams matching their gender identity.
District 49 had just instituted its own policy classifying all school sports teams by “biological sex,” banning males from playing on teams or sharing locker rooms and hotel rooms with females.
Colorado state law and CHSAA bylaws are one of many in blue states that require schools to allow students to play on sports teams and use facilities that match their gender identity, not their sex at birth.
“Political culture is far out of balance on gender issues. Our lawsuit seeks a rational correction to excessive accommodations,” District 49 Superintendent Peter Hilts told Fox News Digital at the time. “Our state athletic association simultaneously advocates equity and discrimination. We asked them to resolve that discrepancy, and they declined, so we were compelled to pursue a legal ruling.”
In exchange for this recent settlement, the plaintiff school districts are now dismissing their claims against the CHSAA and agree to pay the association $60,000 to help cover its operational and legal costs from the lawsuit, according to Colorado Public Radio.
CHSAA has responded to Thursday’s developments in a new statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) has acknowledged from the outset the complex challenges created by conflicting federal directives and state laws, as well as the difficult position in which this places member schools and districts. CHSAA affirms that the courts are ultimately responsible for determining how laws governing transgender athlete participation are applied,” the statement says.
“The association has never penalized a school or district for its policies on this issue, nor has it dictated what those policies should be. Eligibility decisions have always been left to individual schools and districts, which is why being named in this lawsuit was both frustrating and unnecessary.
“At no point before filing this lawsuit did the plaintiffs engage in any dialogue with CHSAA. No outreach was made to inquire about our policies, our procedures, or the steps we had already taken to support schools navigating these issues. Instead, CHSAA was directed to make a change, and a lawsuit was filed shortly thereafter—a decision we believe was much more performative than substantive.
“This litigation consumed time and resources without producing any change to how CHSAA operates. The settlement alters nothing about our policies, our practices, or our authority, and the fact that it results in no changes only underscores how unnecessary this lawsuit was.
“We are reassured that our bylaws were followed throughout this process and the agreement confirms that all legal fees will be covered by the plaintiff districts and schools involved. Most importantly, this resolution brings closure without any continued financial impact on the rest of our membership.
“CHSAA remains dedicated to upholding its commitment to fostering a safe environment for all students participating in educationally based athletics and activities.”
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