Maine school officials refused to sign an agreement complying with the Trump administration‘s ban on biological males in women’s sports on Thursday after weeks of back and forth between the two sides.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year banning schools from allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports and threatening to pull federal funding from states and institutions that do not comply with the order. Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) resisted Trump’s order and had a testy exchange with the president on the matter during a White House event last month.
The Department of Health and Human Services’s Office for Civil Rights found the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School in violation of Title IX for requiring women to compete with biological men in school sports and gave them 10 days to voluntarily resolve the matter in a March 17 order.
The department warned that not resolving the matter may “risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for appropriate action.”
The school board that oversees Greely High School said on Thursday in a letter to the community that it would not comply with the Trump administration’s order, citing its compliance with state law.
“As stated during our Board meeting on March 6th, MSAD #51 will continue to follow state law and the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA). Compliance with the proposed VRA would be a violation of current Maine law,” the letter said, per Maine Public.
The Maine Principals’ Association also said it would not comply with the Trump administration order, citing state law.
The decision not to follow the Trump administration’s order will likely lead to federal funding being pulled from the offending entities and a court battle, which Mills teased in her spat with Trump last month.
When Trump asked Mills if she would comply with the order, the governor responded she would “comply with state and federal law.” After Trump threatened that she “better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding,” Mills reiterated that she would follow the laws and added, “See you in court.”
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION GIVES MAINE DEADLINE TO RESOLVE TITLE IX VIOLATIONS OVER TRANSGENDER ATHLETES
If the battle between Maine school officials and the Trump administration goes to the courtroom, it would be the latest of many legal challenges to the president’s executive orders.
The University of Maine opted to comply with the Trump administration order last week, saying it would cooperate with federal, state, and NCAA policies on the matter.
