Eighteen New England schools across four school districts are under investigation for their inclusion of transgender athletes in school sports by the US Dept. of Education.

Reports the Boston Globe:

The targets include several districts in New England: Foxborough Public Schools in Massachusetts; Champlain Valley School District in Hinesburg, Vermont; and two regional districts in Maine, one based in Waterboro and one in Newport. 

The department’s Office for Civil Rights said it had received complaints that the entities, which include colleges and state departments of education, had violated Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities. According to the department, allowing students to join sports teams “based on their ‘gender identity,’ not biological sex” amounted to discrimination. …

The administration’s announcement came a day after the Supreme Court heard arguments in a pair of cases considering whether states could bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams. A majority of the justices appeared inclined to allow such restrictions. 

Last February, Trump signed an executive order allowing federal agencies to withhold funding from entities that allow trans athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. 

The targeted districts in Massachusetts and Maine did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Adam Bunting, superintendent of the Champlain Valley School District, said in an email to community members that the Vermont district had been identified for “following a Vermont state policy that permits students to participate in sports and to access restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with a student’s gender identity.”

Bunting said the district, located just south of Burlington, planned to submit an official response to the investigation and that it would “remain steadfast in our commitment to honoring the identities of every learner.”

The superintendent quoted a sign in his office that he said felt “especially meaningful,” given the circumstances: “You are just the child we hoped would show up. So welcome. We are glad you are here.”

Read the complete Boston Globe story here.

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