The U.S. Department of Education issued a final warning to the state of Maine, telling it to agree to protect female sports or suffer cuts in federal funding.
On Monday, the OCR notified Maine that “unless it signs a Resolution Agreement by April 11, OCR will refer the matter to DOJ (Department of Justice) for proceedings, which could result in termination of MDOE’s federal education funding.”
The investigation was launched by the Office for Civil Rights on Feb. 21.
Allowing males to compete against females in sporting events is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” it said.
Commenting on the final warning letter to MDOE, Department of Education Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said the Maine education department’s “indifference to its past, current, and future female athletes is astonishing.”
“By refusing to comply with Title IX, MDOE allows—indeed, encourages—male competitors to threaten the safety of female athletes, wrongfully obtain girls’ hard-earned accolades, and deny females equal opportunity in educational activities to which they are guaranteed under Title IX,” he said.
On Feb. 21, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said that her state “will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.”
If federal funding is cut, her administration “will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding,” she said at the time.
Crackdown on MDOE
The March 19 letter to MDOE from the Office for Civil Rights outlined several steps the state had to take.MDOE must direct all public school districts to comply with Title IX, “reminding them that noncompliance places their federal funding in jeopardy,” it said.
The directive must mention that compliance with Title IX requires schools to forbid “males to participate in any athletic program, or access any locker room or bathroom, designated for females,” it added.
The terms “man” and “woman” must be understood in the context that there are only two sexes, the letter also said.
The investigation follows reports that dozens of school districts in the state were breaching parental rights.
The school districts’ policies allow schools to create “gender plans” that support a student’s transgender identity. The districts contend that these plans are not education records under FERPA and thus are inaccessible to parents.
“Parents and guardians have the right to access their child’s education records to guide and safeguard their child’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Any policy to the contrary is both illegal and immoral,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
“It is deeply concerning to hear that teachers and school counselors in Maine are reportedly encouraging and helping students to undergo so-called ‘gender transitions’ while keeping parents in the dark. The Trump Administration will enforce all federal laws to safeguard students and families.”
