U.S. Department of Education Opens Investigations into Maryland State Department of Education and Three Maryland School Districts for Alleged Title IX Violations

Today, on the fifty-fourth anniversary of the signing of Title IX, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened new investigations into the Maryland State Department of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, Prince George’s County Public Schools, and Frederick County Public Schools (the Districts) in Maryland. OCR will determine whether the Districts violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) through policies that permit boys to participate on girls’ athletic teams and access girls’ intimate facilities. 

According to the complaint received by OCR, Maryland’s statewide guidance and district-level policies require schools to allow boys to compete in girls’ athletics and to use girls-only locker rooms, restrooms, and overnight accommodations. 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.  

“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. “Fifty-four years after Title IX was signed into law, the Trump Administration remains steadfast to enforce its promise to protect women and girls. We will fully investigate these allegations and take appropriate action to ensure compliance with federal law.”  

The Trump Administration has fought to protect the integrity of Title IX since Inauguration Day. Within two weeks of being in office, the Department returned to enforcing the Trump Administration’s 2020 Title IX rule after the Biden Administration’s rewrite was vacated by a federal court. This action realigned Title IX’s sex-based protections with biological reality, not ideological fantasy.  

In February 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to protect opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports. Subsequently, the NCAA updated its transgender athletic participation policy, limiting competition in women’s sports to student athletes who are biologically female. 

Title IX is enforced by the Department’s OCR and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.  

Violation of Title IX can result in termination of an educational entity’s federal funding.