Federal officials have launched an investigation into the California Community College Athletic Assn. and four other state colleges and school districts, alleging that their policies allowing sports participation based on gender identity violate the civil rights of female athletes, U.S. Education Department officials announced this week. <\/p>\n
The investigations \u2014 which target 18 school districts and colleges nationwide \u2014 widen the Trump administration\u2019s drive to end the participation of transgender athletes in women\u2019s and girls\u2019 sports. <\/p>\n
The announcements came the same week that a majority of Supreme Court<\/a> justices appeared ready to uphold the laws of two states that forbid transgender athletes from competition. But it wasn\u2019t clear that they would stand in the way of states that chose instead to base participation on gender identity. <\/p>\n California requires K-12 school districts to base sports participation on gender identity and not an individual\u2019s biological sex at birth.<\/p>\n In addition to the Community College Athletic Assn., \u2014 a league of 108 community college athletic programs in the state \u2014 the Department of Education also <\/a>named the Jurupa Unified School District, the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District, Santa Monica College and Santa Rosa Junior College among the 18 targets nationwide. <\/p>\n The investigations were launched based on complaints submitted to the federal Office for Civil Rights, which is part of the department. The federal authorities allege that the schools and the association have violated Title IX, the department said in a statement. Title IX is a 1972 federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal funding.<\/p>\n The complaints asserted that the schools \u201cmaintain policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of sex by permitting students to participate in sports based on their \u2018gender identity,\u2019 not biological sex. These policies jeopardize both the safety and the equal opportunities of women in educational programs and activities.\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Lorely Meza, a spokesperson for the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District, said in an emailed statement that the district received notice of a \u201creview and data request\u201d from the Department of Education on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe complaint alleges that the district school board allowed biological males to compete in female sports,\u201d Meza said, adding \u201cit is important to note\u201d that the district does \u201cnot have have any biological male students competing on female athletic teams.\u201d <\/p>\n In May a school board member introduced a resolution to restrict participation of transgender athletes on female teams. Meza said the measure failed because \u201cboard resolutions cannot overrule state law.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cOur priority has been to always provide safe, respectful and inclusive learning environments for all students while meeting our obligations under state and federal law,\u201d Meza said.<\/p>\n At Santa Monica College, the investigation stems from a campus-wide letter from Supt. Kathryn E. Jeffery condemning President Trump\u2019s executive order nearly a year ago: \u201cKeeping Men Out of Women\u2019s Sports,\u201d that prioritized Title IX enforcement action, according to the Education Department\u2019s letter<\/a> to the college.<\/p>\n