Department of Education launches 18 Title IX investigations after SCOTUS hears arguments in efforts to protect women’s sports
Supreme Court hears landmark women’s sports cases
Independent Women’s Law Center Director May Mailman joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ and reacts to ongoing hearings to determine whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced Wednesday that it had launched 18 Title IX investigations into several school districts across the country, a day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the fight to protect women’s and girls’ sports.
Among those investigated were school districts with controversies over high-profile transgender athletes. Target districts are in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington.
“In the same week that the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on the future of Title IX, OCR is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities that allegedly allow men to compete in women’s sports,” Under Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a news release.
“Time and time again, the Trump administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity and justice are unacceptable.
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A protester holds a sign in front of the Supreme Court during arguments over state laws banning transgender girls and women from playing on school sports teams Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
“We will spare no effort in these investigations to defend women’s right to equal access to educational programs, a fight that began more than half a century ago and is far from over.”
The schools under investigation included the following:
- Jurupa School District (California)
- Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (California)
- Santa Monica College (California)
- Santa Rosa Junior School (California)
- Waterbury Public Schools (Connecticut)
- State of Hawaii Department of Education (Hawaii)
- Regional School Unit 19 (Maine)
- Regional School Unit 57 (Maine)
- Newsborough Public Schools (Massachusetts)
- University of Nevada-Reno (Nevada)
- Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District (New York)
- New York City (New York) Department of Education
- Great Valley School District (Pennsylvania)
- Champlain Valley School District (Vermont)
- Cheney (Washington) Public Schools
- Sultan School District No. 311 (Washington)
- Tacoma (Washington) Public Schools
- Vancouver (Washington) Public Schools
News Digital reached out to each school and district.
The districts are accused of maintaining “policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of sex by allowing students to participate in sports based on their ‘gender identity,’ not their biological sex,” the Department of Education said. “These policies jeopardize both the safety and equal opportunities of women in educational programs and activities.”
The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District responded to a request for comment.
“The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District has been notified of a review by the United States Department of Education,” a school official said. “Our priority has always been to provide safe, respectful and inclusive learning environments for all students while meeting our obligations under state and federal laws. The district’s policies were adopted in good faith and are aligned with applicable law, and we will fully cooperate with all requests related to this matter.”
Cheney Public Schools told News Digital: “We are aware of the investigation that the Department of Education launched today. At this time, we cannot comment on the substance of the investigation, but we intend to cooperate with the investigator throughout this process.”
Vancouver Public Schools told News Digital: “Today we received notification alerting us that the Office for Civil Rights is launching an investigation. We are reviewing the allegations but cannot provide further comment while the investigation is pending.”
INSIDE THE SCOTUS HEARING WILL BE A INVISION POINT IN THE CULTURAL WAR OVER TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to the crowd as protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as she hears arguments on state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school sports teams on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/José Luis Magaña)
The OCR announcement came as the Supreme Court heard arguments in two landmark cases to protect women’s and girls’ sports.
The question at hand is whether laws in Idaho and West Virginia that prohibit transgender athletes who identify as women from playing on teams that match their gender identity discriminate on the basis of sex.
In the case of Little v. Hecox, a biological man seeking to compete on the women’s track and cross country teams at Boise State University, argued that Idaho’s law, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, violated the equal protection clause by excluding transgender women.
West Virginia v. BPJ centers on a 15-year-old transgender athlete who identifies as a girl and who argued that the state’s ban violated both the Constitution and Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs.
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Lawyers for the states defending the bans argue that separating sports by biological sex preserves fairness and safety for female athletes and is consistent with Title IX’s definition of sex.
News’ Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.