HHS Expands Title IX Probe in Maine, Targeting Athletics and High School Policies

Breaking news: The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department has expanded its Title IX investigation in Maine to include the state’s athletic governing body, the Maine Principals Association, and Greely High School. This comes as part of the Trump administration’s strict enforcement of an executive order barring biological males from competing in women’s sports.

According to an HHS spokesperson, the Office of Civil Rights launched the probe last month, initially targeting the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) for allegedly defying the executive order. Just days into the investigation, MDOE received a formal "Notice of Violation." And now, the net has widened to include other entities tied to the contentious debate over transgender athletes in sports.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon stated, "HHS will investigate and enforce Title IX to the full extent permitted by law to uphold fairness, safety, dignity, and biological truth in women’s and girls’ educational athletic opportunities. Men have no place in women’s sports. Maine must comply with Title IX or risk losing federal funding." A stern warning, to say the least.

Republican state legislators in Maine are calling for Democratic Governor Janet Mills to stand down. Mills’ defiance of the executive order could jeopardize hundreds of millions in federal funding for the state’s schools. Maine House Republicans have highlighted that MDOE alone received nearly $1 million in federal funding last year. Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith voiced sharp criticism, saying, "Enough is enough, it is time to put away radical ideology and put the future of our kids first."

The situation escalated further when state Rep. Laurel Libby, a Republican, was censured by Democrats in the Maine legislature. Her apparent crime? Posting images of a Greely High School athlete who transitioned genders, competing and winning in girls’ pole vaulting events. That incident has become a flashpoint in the debate, with Libby and others arguing that policies allowing transgender athletes are unfair to female competitors. And let’s not forget, this is all unfolding under the shadow of potential federal funding cuts.

Trump himself added fuel to the fire, publicly sparring with Gov. Mills over Maine’s policies. During an exchange at the White House, Trump threatened to pull funding unless the state reversed course, prompting Mills to retort, "See [him] in court." Talk about a political showdown.

Meanwhile, legal experts like Sarah Perry, a civil rights attorney specializing in Title IX cases, believe Maine’s legal stance is shaky at best. Perry argues that federal law and prior court precedents don’t favor Maine's reliance on state law to determine athletic eligibility by gender identity. "Maine entered into a contract with the Department of Education, promising to follow that federal civil rights law," Perry noted, predicting that the state’s position would crumble in court.

Gov. Mills and the Maine Principals Association, however, remain defiant, arguing that the executive order conflicts with Maine’s existing Human Rights law. They’ve chosen to defer to state law, which allows athletic eligibility to be determined by a person’s stated gender identity. Mills doubled down, saying, "No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will." Strong words for a high-stakes standoff.

As the investigation intensifies, Maine’s schools and students are caught in the crossfire. With federal funding and the future of women’s sports at stake, the battle over Title IX compliance in Maine is far from over.