The State Board of Education & Early Development will be holding their quarterly meeting at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Chambers on Wednesday June 7th and Thursday June 8th.
Among the topics to be discussed during the meetings, The board will go into an executive session to obtain legal advice regarding proposed regulation project amending 4 AAC 06.115, which asks the question that could restricts boys competing as girls in some school sports.
The proposed regulations amend 4 AAC 06.115 to provide that a school or school district may join the Alaska School Activities Association, Inc. (ASAA), or a similar association, as long as it administers interscholastic activities in a manner that ensures fairness and safety in competition by providing a girls’ divisions with participation based on a student’s sex at birth; providing a division for students who identify with either sex or gender; and providing a process for appeal for all students.
If the regulation were to pass it would prevent boys from competing on girls’ teams who’s teams are girls only. The result would be that students would be limited to participating in multi-gender sports teams or joining a team specifically designated for their actual gender, as determined by their biology.
Following the executive session, the board will open the meeting to public comment on Thursday morning. Public comment is open on agenda and non-agenda items. Comment at this oral hearing is limited to three minutes per person and five minutes per group. The public comment period is an opportunity for the board to hear the public’s concerns. The board will not engage in discussions with members of the public during the comment period.
Public comment can be made for this meeting, during this time only, by joining the online Zoom meeting at https://zoom.us/j/99391482721 or by calling 1-253-215-8782 (toll free) and selecting *9 on your phone’s keypad (Meeting ID 993 9148 2721).
In the event there are more than two hours of public comment, the board may move to amend the agenda to extend the oral hearing to accommodate those present before 8:30 a.m. who did not have an opportunity to comment. The board also reserves the right to adjourn at a later time.
Early this year the Alaska School Activities Board of Directors decided to take no action on changing the ASAA policies regarding team designations at the ASAA Spring General Meeting held in Valdez.
Following two days of debate and public comment, the ASAA Board released a statement that “it would be premature to change the ASAA bylaw” in advance of the state education department adopting changes to regulations “that would have the practical effect of compelling ASAA to make a change to its bylaws in the future.”
ASAA Executive Director Billy Strickland stated, “the board felt like until we know what the change in regulations would be, it’s really hard for us to adopt something that may or may not meet that requirement.”
The meetings will be held at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Chambers on Wednesday June 7th and Thursday June 8th in Soldotna.
