Student-athletes at Stadium, Lincoln, Foss, and Mount Tahoma won't see any immediate change to who can compete on their teams.

The legal ground beneath Washington's trans-inclusive sports policy shifted on Tuesday, June 30, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that states can ban transgender girls from girls' school athletics.

The ruling, authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, upheld laws in Idaho and West Virginia and found that such bans do not violate the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. All nine justices agreed the bans do not violate Title IX.

Washington's law is a different story. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has allowed transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their gender identity since 2007, making it the first state athletic association in the country to adopt such a policy. The WIAA governs athletics at all four Tacoma Public Schools high schools.

WIAA spokesperson Sean Bessette said Tuesday that the association remains committed to following Washington state law and will continue to do so. The Washington Law Against Discrimination still prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in public schools, and the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction confirmed the ruling does not change that.

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said Washington retains the ability to adopt and implement its own laws, adding that the Legislature "has been clear: All students are welcome here."

Still, the ruling energizes a ballot fight heading to Washington voters in November. Initiative Measure IL26-638, sponsored by the conservative political committee Let's Go Washington, would ban transgender girls from competing on K-12 girls' sports teams statewide and require documentation of sex assigned at birth as part of a physical exam.

"It has profound harm, even if it doesn't change Washington state law," said Adrien Leavitt, an attorney with the ACLU of Washington. "It tells us that the federal Constitution does not protect transgender youth in the context of sports."

Let's Go Washington spokesperson Hallie Herzberg called the decision "a victory for girls across the country, but specifically in Washington."

The WIAA already rejected a similar internal proposal in April 2026. That measure, spearheaded by Lynden School District, failed 29-24, short of the 60% threshold required to pass. The WIAA had said the proposal would violate state law even if approved.

Kavanaugh wrote in a footnote that "nothing in this opinion is intended to decide" whether states can lawfully permit transgender athletes to play on teams matching their gender identity. That distinction matters for Washington, where state law actively protects that right.

The next decision point for Tacoma high school families: the November 2026 general election ballot, where IL26-638 will go before voters. Reykdal said if it passes, a court challenge is likely.