The Office for Civil Rights, which is part of the Health and Human Services Department, has issued a notice of violation against the Maine Department of Education for violating federal regulations regarding Title IX.
The OCR noted in a letter to Democrat Maine Governor Janet Mills that the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) is the governing body for youth sports in the state, and that “Mike Burnham, the executive director of the MPA stated, ‘The executive order [President Trump’s Executive Order 14201] and our Maine state Human Rights Act are in conflict, and the Maine Principal’s [sic] Association will continue to follow state law as it pertains to gender identity.’”
The letter continued by noting two cases where boys were let into girl’s sports in Maine.
“On February 17, 2025, it was reported that Greely High, a public high school in the state of Maine, violated Title IX through the participation of a male athlete in a women’s high school track meet. On February 18-19, 2025, it was reported that Maine Coast Waldorf, a public high school in the state of Maine, violated Title IX through the participation of a male athlete in a women’s high school ski event,” the letter said.
“Under its leadership, MDOE is responsible for interscholastic and extracurricular activities in the state of Maine, which includes ensuring that the youth sports programs in the state’s public schools comply with federal nondiscrimination law. … Based on the MPA’s policy of allowing male athletes to compete against female athletes, OCR has determined that MDOE is in violation of federal law under Title IX,” it continued.
Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Maine in February that it needed to comply with the federal law, stating that “[T]his Department of Justice will defend women and does not tolerate state officials who ignore federal law. We will leverage every legal option necessary to ensure state compliance with federal law and President Trump’s Executive Order protecting women’s sports.”
Democrat lawmakers in Maine last month censured Republican state Representative Laurel Libby for a Facebook post showing a teenager who competed as a boy one year and as a girl the next year in a pole vault competition.
In response, Libby said that “[B]ullies are pretty predictable. And so, as anticipated, [Maine House] Speaker Ryan Fecteau and the Democrat majority did censure me. And they have declared that I cannot vote or speak on the floor until I apologize. But if there's one thing that I know about bullies, is you don't back down. And so, I have no intention of backing down from this fight and will continue to speak up for Maine girls.”
At a meeting of governors at the White House last month, Mills told Trump, in response to his warning that the state wouldn’t get federal funding if it didn’t comply, that “[W]e’ll see you in court,” and Trump replied that he looked forward to it.
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