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Arizona School Bars Eighth-Grade Boy From Boys’ Team Over Birth Certificate Dispute

District policy ties eligibility to the sex recorded at birth, with chromosome testing floated as potential verification.

Overview

  • Laker Jackson, an eighth-grader at Eastmark High School in Mesa, was removed from boys' basketball tryouts after officials cited the female marker on his original birth certificate.
  • The family obtained a corrected certificate listing him as male and provided a doctor's note, but a district letter said he may only participate according to the original record.
  • Queen Creek Unified School District said it relies on original birth certificates to set athletic eligibility and told the parents a chromosome analysis could be considered.
  • The family estimates genetic testing would cost about $1,500 without a guarantee of approval, and local reporting has found no prior junior-high case requiring such testing.
  • The district says the student has been registered as female throughout his time there and stated it remains open to working with the family on a resolution.