‘I don’t remember him saying, ‘I’m not in charge of any of this”: Jake questions Reykdal’s office as I-638 heads toward Dec. 3

After voters passed Initiative 638, the state schools office said it has no formal role in school sports. KIRO host Jake Skorheim pointed out that state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal had urged voters to reject the measure on air. KIRO host Spike O’Neill voted for the initiative, but he warned that the way it’s written leaves it open to a court challenge.

“I don’t remember him saying, ‘I’m not in charge of any of this,’” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

I-638 passed with 56.6% of the vote. The measure bars transgender girls from girls’ school sports. Students who want to compete in girls’ events will have to submit a statement signed by a health care provider verifying their biological sex.

OSPI says it has no ‘formal role’

The Center Square asked the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) how schools would comply with the measure. Katie Payne, the agency’s chief strategy officer, responded in an email.

“The initiative is scheduled to take effect on December 3, 2026, following certification of the election results, unless a court intervenes,” Payne wrote, according to The Center Square.

Jake read the next part of her response on air: “Despite political rhetoric, OSPI does not have a formal role in school-based athletic programs.”

Jake stopped there.

“That’s interesting, isn’t it?” Jake said.

He recalled Reykdal’s appearance on the show last month. As Jake heard it, Reykdal spoke as the head of the state’s public schools when he urged voters to reject the initiative and leave lawmaking to elected representatives.

Spike didn’t hear it that way. To him, Reykdal was offering a personal view in response to a direct question.

“I think he was speaking from his own personal perspective because you asked him directly,” Spike said.

Revisiting the Reykdal interview

The hosts replayed part of the interview. Jake had asked Reykdal about Camas High School runners who forfeited a race rather than compete against a transgender athlete who had run on the boys’ team earlier in the season.

“I don’t see it that way, Jake. I just don’t,” Reykdal said in the clip. “These are young, developing people whose brains aren’t going to fully develop till they’re 25.”

Jake questioned who Reykdal meant by that.

“Was he suggesting that the girls who were not supportive of the athlete in question, who was switching teams, because they’re under 25, they’re not fully developed enough to know what they’re doing when they’re walking off the field? Is that what he was saying?” Jake asked.

“I can’t begin to speculate,” Spike said.

Spike believes Reykdal’s position fits his job.

“His job is to protect all athletes in Washington State, not to set policy. His job is to enforce policy,” Spike said.

Democrats signal a legal fight

The Washington State Democratic Party believes I-638 is unconstitutional and has pledged support for court challenges.

Jake read from party Chair Shasti Conrad’s statement.

“While this result is incredibly disheartening, voters in Washington and across the nation rejected anti-trans candidates up and down the ballot,” Conrad wrote.

Spike noted that Conrad initially said the party itself would fight the measure in court. In his account, the party walked that back and now says it will support organizations that file challenges.

Spike: ‘A burden on one group’

Spike voted yes on I-638. Still, he thinks opponents have a case.

“I think the law was written that leaves it open to constitutional challenge,” Spike said.

He pointed to the medical verification requirement, which applies only to students who want to compete in girls’ sports.

“It’s a burden on one group that’s not a burden on the other group,” Spike said.

If a court agrees, Spike wants supporters to rewrite the measure so it applies to everyone.

“If that is the case, they should then rewrite this law or rewrite this initiative, put it back on, have it apply to both sexes across the board,” Spike said.

He would support it a second time.

“Take away their constitutional argument, and I’d vote for it again,” Spike said.

Jake doubted anyone would object to that change. As he sees it, the problem doesn’t affect boys’ teams.

“They’re not the ones who are losing at the starting line,” Jake said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3