Federal civil rights investigators warn Maine officials that schools could lose federal aid due to violations.
The spring sports season is on track, with Maine public schools at risk of losing millions of dollars in public funds because men identifying as transgender have refused to compete with women.
Federal civil rights investigators warned Maine officials that schools could lose federal aid for violations, and an April 11 deadline was set to introduce the issue to the Department of Justice.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February banning men from competing in women’s sports.
The Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office has launched an investigation into the state’s Department of Education after winning the indoor track pole-holding state title in the girls’ category a year after a male student athlete from Greeley High School competed in the juvenile category and finished 10th.
The Trump administration has also warned Maine education officials to abolish policies that allow teachers to withhold information about their child’s gender identity from parents.
In a March 31 letter from the superintendent to the Greeley High School community, Principal Jeff Porter wrote that he and other school districts are obligated to comply with Maine’s human rights laws.
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“Our duty was to comply with the laws of Maine at the time,” Porter wrote.
“Given that the federal government is directed to follow Maine’s laws, like all other districts, we are more interested in Maine than we are not just our district,” he writes.
“If federal funds are withheld in the future, the board will need to decide whether to use emergency funds, eliminate some or all staff positions, or eliminate a combination of these options.”
One of the speakers, Mike Perfectie, criticized the National College Athletics Association’s recent decision to ban men from competing in women’s sports following Trump’s executive order.
“Transgender athletes never drive away female athletes,” he said.
The president’s order said by allowing men to compete in women’s sports, “almost denies women and girls the opportunity to participate in competitive sports and excel.”
