Education Department Issues Final Warning To Maine Over Men In Women’s Sports

WASHINGTON—The Department of Education on Monday issued a final warning to Maine over its refusal to comply with Title IX and President Donald Trump’s executive order banning men from women’s sports and spaces.

The letter is the “final step” in the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation before OCR turns over its findings to the Department of Justice, the Education Department said in a release.

“The Maine Department of Education’s indifference to its past, current, and future female athletes is astonishing,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor. “By refusing to comply with Title IX, MDOE allows—indeed, encourages—male competitors to threaten the safety of female athletes, wrongfully obtain girls’ hard-earned accolades, and deny females equal opportunity in educational activities to which they are guaranteed under Title IX.”

“Under prior administrations,” Trainor added, “enforcement was an illusory proposition. No more. The Trump-McMahon Education Department is moving quickly to ensure that federal funds no longer support patently illegal practices that harm women and girls.”

The Education Department had provided the Maine Department of Education with a proposed Resolution Agreement on March 19, the department said, an agreement to voluntarily resolve its Title IX violations or face “imminent enforcement action.”

However, the Maine Department of Education has not taken any action to protect women and girls, the department said. Unless Maine signs that Resolution Agreement by April 11, the matter will be referred to the Justice Department — and the Maine Department of Education could lose its federal education funding.

In February, Trump challenged Maine Governor Janet Mills (D.) at the White House for her refusal to follow the law on males in girls’ sports. As Trump discussed the NCAA complying with his executive order mandating that men stay out of women’s spaces, the president looked up from the podium and asked, “Is Maine here? The governor of Maine? Are you not going to comply with it?”

“I’ll comply with state and federal law,” Mills responded.

“We are the federal law,” Trump told her. “You better do it. Because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And by the way, your population, even though it is somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. You better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding.”

“We’ll see you in court,” the governor can be heard saying.

“Good, I’ll see you in court,” Trump responded. “I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”

The Daily Wire reported the next day that Mills’ chief of staff cursed at a Trump official over the same topic and stormed out of the room. Mills’ office denied that Jeremy Kennedy cursed and refused to return more requests for comment.