Photo: Alamy
The Trump administration launched a probe into a New York school district over allegations that it defied a federal order prohibiting biological males from competing in girls’ sports.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon revealed the investigation on Tuesday involving Saratoga Springs for allowing males to compete in female sports and use girls’ locker rooms.
“The Trump Administration has been unrelenting in our effort to ensure that women and girls’ educational experiences are not marred by sex discrimination,” McMahon said. “It is a clear violation of federal civil rights law, and of women’s dignity, to allow males to participate in female-sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities.”
“Women fought for decades to secure Title IX protections, only to have these protections subverted and betrayed by those who prioritize a distorted ideology over fairness, dignity, and safety,” McMahon added.
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik released the following statement after the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a formal investigation into the Saratoga Springs City School District.
“After my strong public advocacy, I want to thank President Donald Trump and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon for swiftly opening a formal investigation into the Saratoga Springs City School District for their failure to uphold Title IX protections for women and girls in sports,” Stefanik posted to X.
“This decisive action demonstrates my continued record of delivering results on behalf of NY students, parents, and families,” said Congresswoman Stefanik,” she continued.
The investigation letter requests specific data that the OCR needs to investigate. Among the required materials are the school district’s narrative response to the allegation being examined and any documents or records cited in that response.
The district is also asked to provide all written policies or procedures that were in effect or followed during the 2024–2025 school year concerning male students’ participation on girls’ athletic teams or their access to girls’ locker rooms. Additionally, the district must submit its policy defining the terms “sex,” “gender,” and “gender identity.”
The request further seeks any documentation related to complaints or proposed changes to these policies or procedures. The district must also provide a list of all girls’ and boys’ sports teams for the 2024–2025 school year and the athletic rosters for all girls’ or women’s interscholastic teams, clearly identifying any male participants on those rosters.
