NEW YORK (PIX11) — The Trump administration has opened 18 new federal investigations into school districts and colleges accused of allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
Among those under investigation: New York City’s public school system and a Long Island school district.
The U.S. Department of Education has launched Title IX investigations into multiple school districts and colleges for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
New York City’s public school system and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District on Long Island are both under investigation.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Department of Education said, “The Office for Civil Rights is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities that reportedly allow males to compete in women’s sports.” The statement goes on to say, “The Trump Administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable. When adults’ ether is the Department of Education, President Trump, or the Supreme Court, politicize students’ identities, transgender youth receive a message that they are a problem and they are not.”
Dr. David Kilmnick of the New York LGBT Network says schools are often one of the few places where students feel affirmed, especially in suburban communities like Long Island.
Adding, when those spaces come under federal scrutiny, he says, it can impact students’ mental health and place added stress on families trying to protect their children.
“This issue is not about sports. It is about dignity, safety, and whether transgender students are treated as full members of their school communities. Schools should be places of stability and belonging, not fear and uncertainty driven by political interference.”
In a statement, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District said it has, quote, at all times, the district acted in full compliance with all laws and regulations.
Bellmore-Merrick has followed the guidance and legal framework governing New York State public schools issued by the NYS Education Department.”
The investigations come just one day after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over whether two states can ban transgender athletes from school sports.
“Title IX is a statute that is supposed to protect people from discrimination Civil rights laws were created to protect students from discrimination, not to target already vulnerable children or punish school districts for doing the right thing.”