As of Wednesday, the United States Department of Justice filed a civil action against the Maine Department of Education with the objective of putting an end to a policy that permits transgender kids to compete on sports teams that are designated for women and girls.
As part of its examination of the state’s federal money, the agency is also considering the possibility of retroactively withdrawing all of the funding that the state has received in the past for failing to comply with Title IX regulations.
The United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated during a news conference that “many, many” additional states, including Minnesota and California, are on the list of states that will be next in line.
The statement comes just a few days after the United States Department of Education handed over the responsibility of enforcing its Title IX investigation into the state to the Department of Justice.
Additionally, the announcement comes after a number of letters and announcements have jeopardised federal money for Maine and other states due to their failure to comply with civil rights regulations.
The Justice Department has stated that it is also contemplating whether or not it would be appropriate to retroactively withdraw all of the cash that Maine has gotten in the past for failing to comply with Title IX regulations.
Bondi did not provide any insight into the number of years that could be affected by a retroactive revocation of funding.
“We’re going in a different direction in our funding,” Bondi stated. “We’re looking at Minnesota. We’re looking at California. We’re looking at many, many states. But they are the top two that should be on notice, because we have been communicating with them.”
In contrast to other administrations, the Trump administration has made it apparent that it is changing its approach to investigations and enforcement.
It seeks to expedite the investigation process and reduce funding from states and educational institutions that fail to apply civil rights laws to prevent transgender students from participating in sports and using facilities that correspond to their gender identities, as well as from states and institutions that, in certain situations, integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their operations.
Since March 27, the Education Department has been looking into California again for violations of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act.
According to the Trump administration, the state violated the law by permitting children in various school districts to “socially transition” at school while concealing their gender identity from their parents at home.
Following two brief, concurrent examinations by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services that determined the state had violated Title IX, the Justice Department decided to file a lawsuit against Maine on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills’ public dispute over the state’s transgender athlete policy sparked such enquiries.
Mills concluded the argument at a governors’ meeting at the White House on February 21 by stating that the state will “see you in court.”
During the same press conference on Wednesday as Bondi, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon responded to Mills’ warning by saying, “Obviously, we are going to.”
“I hope Gov. Mills will recognize that her political feud with the president will deprive the students in her state of much more than the right to fair sporting events,” McMahon stated.
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Bondi stated on Wednesday that schools in the states being reviewed will be exempt if they voluntarily adhere to the administration’s interpretation of civil rights legislation.
For instance, shortly before the case was made public, Maine School Administrative District 70 decided to comply with the administration. According to Bondi, that district will not face legal action, nor will others, should they decide to do the same.
