The Washington Parents Network (WPN) called for a national investigation on Friday into the Seattle Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Education. WPN alleges that the Seattle OCR is failing to respond appropriately to a Title IX complaint filed on Feb. 28 regarding violations of girls’ rights in athletics.
WPN Executive Director David Spring stated that the 99-page complaint was filed against the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) for allegedly violating the Title IX rights of over 500,000 biological girls in the state. Title IX is designed to protect women and girls in athletics and educational opportunities.
“Our complaint details numerous violations of Title IX that have occurred and continue to occur in Washington state on a daily basis,” Spring said in a news release.
The complaint comes as President Donald Trump has issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. Despite multiple follow-ups, WPN received no response from the Seattle OCR office for over two weeks.
On March 13, Spring visited the Seattle OCR office in person but found the office locked and seemingly unoccupied. After some time, a woman informed him that no one was available to discuss the matter and suggested he leave a note.
Accompanied by The Center Square, Spring returned the following Monday, where a man identifying himself as Alan Johnson refused entry but provided a case number for the complaint. He cited technical difficulties as the reason for the lack of response.
Following this interaction, Spring received an email from OCR supervisor David Kauffman, stating, “We are in receipt of your complaint. We are currently evaluating it consistent with the requirements of OCR’s Case Processing Manual. We will be in touch as needed moving forward.” However, Spring argues that the delayed and minimal response violates OCR’s Complaint Process Manual, which mandates prompt written acknowledgment and a Consent Form.
Spring demanded a timeline for OCR’s actions to enforce Title IX compliance in Washington, setting a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline. When no response was received, he resubmitted the complaint and requested an immediate investigation.
The Center Square also reached out to Kauffman for comment but received no response.
