Feds claim Title IX violation in Colorado school district

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(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education announced that Jefferson County Public Schools is violating Title IX by allowing transgender students to participate on sports teams and use private facilities, allegations the district strongly disputes.

Federal officials say policies adopted by Jefferson County Public Schools, Colorado’s second-largest school district, allow transgender students to use facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms and join sports teams, which the department argues discriminates against female students.

Title IX is a federal statute that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational programs that receive federal funding.

“The District’s decision to prioritize ‘gender identity’ over ensuring equal access for its female students is unconscionable,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said. “The District must act now to end these violations and protect future generations of girls from sex discrimination. The Trump Administration will not relent until female athletes’ safety, opportunities, and equal protection under the law are fully restored.” 

The department’s Office for Civil Rights actively has 18 similar Title IX investigations into school districts nationwide.

Jefferson County Public Schools, also known as Jeffco, serves around 75,000 students across 145 schools in the Colorado county and employs about 14,000 staff members. The district said the federal government’s findings are incorrect and warned that complying with the proposed federal resolution could conflict with state law.

“Providing equal access to programs and services for all Jeffco students, including those who are transgender, does not violate Title IX,” the district said in a statement. “The Department’s interpretation has no basis in the Title IX regulations and is not supported by any binding court decision. It conflicts with a recent U.S. District of Colorado decision, which considered the same Jeffco policies.”

The Office for Civil Rights issued a proposed resolution agreement on Friday, giving the district 10 days to voluntarily address the alleged violations or face possible enforcement action.

Under the proposal, the district would be required to rescind or revise policies that allow male students to access female intimate facilities, share overnight accommodations with female students or compete in girls’ sports.

The agreement would also require the district to issue a public statement saying it will comply with Title IX by adopting biology-based definitions of male and female. 

Additionally, the district would need to post the statement prominently on its main website, each school website and girls’ athletics pages, and notify staff, students and coaches about its renewed compliance with Title IX and how to file complaints of sex discrimination.

The Center Square reached out to Jeffco for a comment, but has not received a response.