Trump vs. Maine: State responds to notice of Title IX violations

President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights announced on Monday that the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association and Greely High School are all in violation of Title IX as they violate his executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls sports. 

The Maine Principals’ Association issued a response to the announcement on Tuesday, to Fox News Digital. 

“The alleged violation is due to MPA’s policy which is a direct result of the Maine Human Rights Acts mandate that athletes be allowed to participate on the teams which align with their gender identity. MPA’s policy is consistent with Maine State Law,” the response read.

“The determination that MPA has violated Title IX first requires that MPA be beholden to Title IX due to receiving direct or indirect funding from the federal government. In short, a small portion of our funding comes from 151 member schools who receive the majority of their funding from local property taxes and the state. The vast majority of our funding comes from ticket sales, sponsorships, streaming, television and other contracts. Therefore, it is MPA’s position that HHS does not have Title IX jurisdiction over MPA.” 

The DHHS has said Maine has 10 days to resolve the issue through a signed agreement or risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for appropriate action. The MPA added in its response that it expects the issue to be discussed in the Maine legislature. 

“MPA looks forward to a robust debate in the Maine legislature to determine the future of its policy on this topic. We urge all parties to this issue to air their questions, concerns, thoughts or opinions where they belong; in respectful debate in public hearings on the bills addressing this issue,” the statement read.

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“As always, we urge members of the public to keep this debate among adults and let our kids be kids. Please do not single any of our student athletes out, they are only abiding by the policy that the Maine Human Rights Act mandates.” 

HHS served a notice of violation to the state of Maine on Feb. 25 and declared the state violated Title IX by allowing trans athletes to compete in girls sports, Fox News Digital previously reported. HHS later expanded the scope of the investigation to include the Maine Principals’ Association and Greely High School. 

The state has become a heated battleground for the national debate over trans athletes in girls sports, after state lawmaker Laurel Libby pointed out an incident of it happening when a biological male won a girls pole vault competition for Greely High School in early February.

Trump then vowed to cut funding to the state for refusing to follow his order on Feb. 20, during a meeting of GOP governors.

Maine Governor Mills’ office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump administration if it withheld federal funding from the state the next day. Then Trump and Mills verbally sparred in a widely publicized argument at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors.

Just hours after that interaction, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would investigate the state for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls sports and for potential Title IX violations. 

Mills, in congruence with the Maine Principals’ Association, argues that Trump’s executive order conflicts with Maine’s current Human Rights law. As a result, following the executive order would defy state law, which currently allows athletic participation based on the person’s stated gender identity.

“No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will,” Mills said in a statement when the HHS initially announced its investigation. “It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws, which I took an oath to uphold.”

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