The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Civil Rights Office (OCR) announced Monday that the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principal Association and Greeley High School are all violating Title IX.
The Trump administration last week expanded its Title IX investigation into Maine, citing violations of President Trump's executive order, which states that biological men are not allowed to compete in women's sports at educational and athletic agencies.
Both the state's high school athletics governing bodies, the Main Principal Association and Greeley High School, have been added to the list of Maine institutions that HHS was investigating. The OCR announced last month that it was investigating the Maine Department of Education.
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President Donald Trump speaks at the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Four days after that announcement, HHS issued a “Notice of Violation.”
Currently, OCR's decisions to three entities provide the opportunity to voluntarily commit within 10 days to resolve the issue through a signed contract for appropriate action or a referral to the US Department of Justice.
This occurs after an investigation from the OCR discovers that all three entities are obligated to comply with Title IX and have an obligation to violate Title IX.
HHS expands Maine's Title IX probe to include state associations that manage athletics and state associations that can withstand high schools.
“The Maine Department of Education must not avoid its obligations under federal law by assigning the management of the Maine Principal Association's extracurricular activities, programs and services,” Anthony Arkeval, acting director of the OCR at HHS, said in a reporter's release. “We hope that the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principal Association and Greeley High School will work with us to reach an agreement to restore equity in women's sports.”
Trump's executive order 14201, well-known to “hold men out of women's sports,” signed that “female athletes must be protected in the female category and “competitive or competing before men or excluded.”
That's exactly what happened in Maine, as the state's Department of Education received nearly $1 million from the HHS sub-agency alone. The Maine Republican said in a press release last week.
Maine Sen. Laurel Libby has warned against state rebellion in President Donald Trump's executive order calling for an end to biological men competing in women's sports. (Getty/Maine House of Representatives)
Maine Republican lawmakers have called on Democrat Gov. Janet Mills to comply with federal funding for K-12 executive orders, which resulted in failing to do so.
“If Maine Democrats continue to double by enabling biological men to participate in women's sports, our students will lose hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funds. Government (Janet) Mills and Legislative Democrats have new opportunities to do the right thing, with repaired funds and fair and equal arenas saying Maine Liveton.
Libby became a prominent figure in the Maine debate after posting Paul Vaulter from Greeley High School on social media. Paul Wolter recently competed as a biological male in June 2024 and won the state championship as a woman.
Maine Legislature Democrats showed athletes competing as men next to the image of athletes who won the pole-type competition for women at the Maine Class B indoor championship in February.
Trump called for Main shortly after Libby's post began to stir up debate. Trump was having public discussions with Governor Mills at the White House. There, Maine threatened state funds “if it was cleaned up.” Mills replied that he would see Trump “in court.”
Maine Governor Janet Mills and President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. (Getty Images)
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Mills, in line with the Maine Principals Association, argues that Trump's executive order is inconsistent with Maine's current human rights law. As a result, obeying an executive order is contrary to state law and currently allows participation in the campaign based on the person's designated gender identity.
“No Republicans or Democrats can withhold federal funds approved and approved by Congress, approved and paid by Maine taxpayers. “It is a violation of our constitution and our laws, and I have taken a pledge to support it.”
Alec Schemmel of Fox News contributed to this report.
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