The male student on the Camas High School girls' cross-country team shared a hotel room with a girl teammate during an overnight team trip, Clark County Today reports.
The team stayed in a district-paid hotel for the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational at Lakewood High School in Arlington, Washington, on Oct. 10. He competed in the girls' elite 5,000-meter race and finished 39th.
Asked about the arrangement, Camas School District spokesperson Doreen McKercher said: "Coaching staff coordinate room assignments for overnight athletic trips and may consider student-athletes' preferences. We can confirm that no student was required to share a room with someone they were uncomfortable rooming with. To protect student privacy, we will not discuss individual room assignments or accommodations."
Report to police and outside review
On Oct. 12, Principal Travis Drake verbally reported an incident from the trip to the school resource officer, a member of the Camas Police Department. The district confirmed the report and declined to describe the incident.
Camas police Sgt. Chuck Nadgwick told Clark County Today that the incident involved two people, neither of whom made a complaint; the complaint came from a third party. Police determined no crime had been committed, so no report was written and no case number was assigned. The district has referred the matter to Educational Service District 112 for a third-party review.
Charter bus
The district chartered an unmarked bus for the trip at a cost of $4,772, paid from its athletics transportation budget. McKercher said the district often charters for trips over 140 miles and overnight trips, and in this case also "considered the significant online attention directed at our team, including comments about identifying and approaching student-athletes at events."
Background
The student began the season on the boys' team, placing 76th in a boys' junior varsity race on Sept. 5, then moved to the girls' team, according to the Seattle Times. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association says its policy allows athletes to compete in the category consistent with their gender identity and does not prohibit an in-season switch.
On Oct. 13, about a dozen girls on the team walked off the start line of a dual meet with Battle Ground. The district says they will not be disciplined. A source told Clark County Today at least one team member quit after the trip; the district says some students have left voluntarily and none has been removed.
Washington voters will decide Initiative 638, which would limit girls' K–12 sports to female students, on Nov. 3.
*Cover photo: Video by Amy Sousa*