Trump admin launches Title IX investigations into 18 schools for allowing boys in girls' sports

The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened investigations into 18 educational entities across 10 states after receiving complaints alleging violations of Title IX by continuing to allow boys to compete in girls’ sports.

According to the complaints, the institutions, ranging from K–12 school districts to colleges and a state department of education, have policies or practices that allow students to participate in sports based on their gender identity rather than biological sex. The complaints argue that those policies discriminate on the basis of sex and “jeopardize both the safety and the equal opportunities of women in educational programs and activities.”

“In the same week that the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the future of Title IX, OCR is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities which reportedly allow males to compete in women’s sports,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement. “Time and again, the Trump Administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable. We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs—a fight that started over half a century ago and is far from finished.”

The entities under investigation include the Jurupa School District and Placentia-Yorba School District in California, along with Santa Monica College and Santa Rosa Junior College; Waterbury Public Schools in Connecticut; the Hawaii State Department of Education; Regional School Units 19 and 57 in Maine; Foxborough Public Schools in Massachusetts; the University of Nevada–Reno; the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District and the New York City Department of Education; Great Valley School District in Pennsylvania; Champlain Valley School District in Vermont; and several Washington state districts, including Cheney Public Schools, Sultan School District No. 311, Tacoma Public Schools, and Vancouver Public Schools.

The investigations come after President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14201 on Feb. 5, 2025, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which the release says bans biological males from participating in women’s sports.

After the order was signed, Tacoma Public Schools published a statement saying it would not follow the executive order because it contradicts Washington state law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Washington’s state superintendent’s office said Friday it was aware of the investigation and added that “school districts are acting in alignment with state law when they provide trans students with the opportunity to participate in athletics in alignment with their gender identity.”