The Department of Education has launched investigations into potential Title IX violations at Maryland schools, citing state and local policies allowing boys access to girls’ private facilities, sports teams and overnight accommodations.
Under investigation are the Maryland Department of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, Prince George’s County Public Schools, and Frederick County Public Schools, which were flagged in a complaint received by the department’s Office for Civil Rights.
The complaint said Maryland’s statewide guidance and district policies “require schools to allow boys to compete in girls’ athletics and to use girls-only locker rooms, restrooms, and overnight accommodations,” according to the department.
“The complaint further alleges that when girls objected to sharing sex-separated spaces with boys, the Districts placed the burden on those girls to seek alternative facilities, including distant single-user restrooms, rather than enforcing sex-based protections guaranteed under federal law,” said the department in a Tuesday statement.
The announcement coincided with the 54th anniversary of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination in education at institutions receiving federal funding.
“The practice of allowing students to access sex-separated programs and facilities based solely on self-asserted ’gender identity’ is deeply troubling and raises significant legal concerns,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey in a statement.
The Maryland State Department of Education said it had received the complaint and would have no comment while the investigation is underway.
“The Maryland State Department of Education remains committed to supporting all students and upholding the law,” said the MSDE in a statement to WBAL-TV.
The Trump administration has been busier than ever in targeting gender-ideology policies in schools since Education Secretary Linda McMahon recognized June as Title IX Month for the second year in a row.
This month alone, the Office for Civil Rights has opened investigations into schools in Michigan and North Carolina; issued warning letters to school districts in Colorado and Kansas; sent Letters of Impending Enforcement Action to three Kansas school districts, and issued a Letter of Impasse to the Kansas City Public School District in Kansas.
That doesn’t include previous Title IX actions in states including California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Washington.
“Fifty-four years after Title IX was signed into law, the Trump administration remains steadfast to enforce its promise to protect women and girls,” Ms. Richey said. “We will fully investigate these allegations and take appropriate action to ensure compliance with federal law.”
