Portland, Maine – Maine officials said Friday that the State will not comply with the prohibition of transgender athletes in high school sports following a Trump administration that discovers that the State violated antidisriminal laws by allowing students to participate.
The United States Department of Education said in March that an investigation concluded that the Maine Department of Education violated the Federal Law of Title IX by allowing transgender girls to participate in girls teams. The investigation followed a public disagreement between the Democratic governor of Maine Janet Mills and President Donald Trump at a meeting of February governors.
The Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education issued a final warning on March 31 with the State that needed to comply with the law in 10 business days or face the application of the United States Department of Justice. That deadline came on Friday and the Department of Education said he sent his investigation to the Department of Justice for greater compliance.
Maine and the federal government are in IMPASSE, since the State does not sign a resolution proposed by the Trump administration to resolve the disagreement by prohibiting transgender athletes, said the attached attorney general of Maine Sarah Forster in a letter to the Department of Education.
“Nothing in Title IX or its implementation regulations prohibit schools to allow transgender girls and women to participate in girls and women’s sports teams,” Forster’s letter yielded. “Your letters to date do not cite a single case that is maintained like that.”
Trump has said that the State runs the risk of losing federal funds if it does not comply. On Friday, the Department of Education said it was also taking measures towards the completion of Maine’s educational financing.
“The Department Has Given Maine Everyity to Come Complence With Title IX, But The State’s Leaders have stubborly refused to do so, Choosing Institute to Prioritize An Ideological Extreme Agenda Agenda About Their Charity, PRIVACY, PRIVACY, PRIVACY, PRIVACY, PRIVACY, PRIVACY, PRIVACY Safory, “Safory,” Safory, “Safory,” Safory, “Safory,” Safory, “Safory,” Safey, “Safey,” Security, “Security,” Security “, Security”, Security “, Security,” Security “, Security”, Security “, Security, Security, Security”, Secretary of the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education. ” The Department of Education of Maine will now have to defend their discriminatory practices before an administrative law judge of the Department and in a Federal Court against the Department of Justice. “
Federal financing is essential for Maine schools. Maine obtained $ 358 million in federal funds for K-12 schools in 2021-22, or 10% of its budget, according to census data. About 13% of that money was for title I, 14% to special education and 20% to child nutrition programs, such as school lunches. Title I provides complementary financial assistance to school districts for children from low -income families.
Almost half of the federal funds were simply marked as “other”, which probably points to the Covid-19 substantial aid funds that obtained that year. Before the pandemic, Maine obtained 6% of his funds from federal sources, almost $ 185 million in 2018-19.
The issue of school financing and transgender participation in sports in Maine will bubble when Mills and Trump shot over the subject during the February meeting at the White House. Duration at the meeting, Trump dedicated himself to drawing federal funds from Maine if the State did not comply with its executive order that except for the transgender athletes of sports.
Mills replied: “We will see you in court.”
Shortly after, the Department of Education and the Department of Human Health and Services of the United States launched investigations to the State.
Health and Human Services officials said in March that the Maine Department of Education, the Association of Directors of Maine and a high school violates title IX due to the participation of transgender athletes. The Department of Health has already sent the issue to the Department of Justice for its application in the Court.
The Association of Directors and the School District said they would not fulfill a proposed agreement to prohibit athletes.
The Republicans of Maine, who are a minority in both cameras of the legislature, have pressed the state democrats to resolve the investigation. The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Billy Bob Faulkham, who speaks a press conference, said Mills has created a “hostage situation” that endangers federal funds.
“The governor and his administration are celebrating Maine schools and Maine’s education under hostages,” Faulkingham said. “This confrontation will not end well for the state of Maine and its educational financing.”
LGBTQ+ rights groups in Maine have defended the State approach. “We are not yielding, and we are not renouncing our trans community,” said Equalitymaine in a publication on social networks.
Federal authorities have also said that they are investigating Maine because the claims school districts in the State violate the federal law by retaining information on the gender transition of parents’ students.