During a special meeting on Wednesday, Colorado Springs’ District 11 became the second El Paso County school district to approve a new policy requiring students to participate in school sports based on their biological sex.

The D-11 Board of Education voted 6-1 to approve policy JBA-Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports, which will classify sports teams as either “male, men or boys,” “female, women or girls” or “coed, mixed or open.”

This will ensure that students aren’t allowed to participate in sports, be present in locker rooms, or lodge in hotels with the opposite biological sex.   

Board Director Julie Ott cast the only dissenting vote. 

“This policy is illegal. It goes against Colorado law. This policy is hateful, and benefits no one,” Ott said before voting.  

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Ahead of the vote, opponents of the new policy voiced concerns that it will target and discriminate transgender and queer students, while proponents agreed with its efforts to preserve safety in female sports.

“The D-11 I know and love stands for inclusion, acceptance and tolerance for all students. If safety is the concern of this board, as it claims, know that statistically speaking, trans kids are one of the most targeted demographics in our country,” said Alli Klein, D-11 substitute teacher and mother of four. 

“Thank you for standing up and protecting girls’ safety and privacy. I appreciate you taking a stance and standing up for the right things, especially in this day and and age,” said Stacey Odair, a teacher in D-11.

Of the 18 community members who spoke during the public session, only one was in support of the proposed policy.

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With the passing of this policy, D-11 joins District 49 as the second El Paso County school to pass similar policies.