Laker Jackson “has been enrolled in QCUSD since elementary school and has been registered as a biological female throughout their time in our district,” the district’s statement read in part. “The day before basketball tryouts, the parent submitted a new birth certificate and a doctor’s note indicating a gender change. Our schools rely on a student’s original birth certificate at birth to determine athletic eligibility […] We informed the parent that documentation such as a chromosome analysis could be considered to help support or verify eligibility in accordance with policy.”

Becky Jackson told KNXV that the cheapest option for genetic testing her family was able to find would cost them $1,500 — with no guarantee that her son would be granted eligibility. “So who’s going to pay for that?”