(NewsNation) — An investigation by the Trump administration has concluded that the Maine Department of Education violated civil rights law by letting transgender girls compete on female sports teams.
Local media outlets say federal investigators did not reach out to state officials, according to the Maine attorney general’s office.
On Feb. 25, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights sent a notice of violation against the Maine Department of Education, saying it did not follow Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools, The Bangor Daily News said.
Social Security Administration offices DOGE, Elon Musk is closing
According to a copy of the email obtained by the newspaper, the notice was emailed to the Maine attorney general. The Bangor Daily News notes that the university system was not mentioned in the letter about the alleged violations.
Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the Maine attorney general, told the Bangor Daily News there’s been no action taken against the Department of Education yet.
The office has “not been asked any questions nor involved in any investigatory activities prior to the receipt of the determination letter,” Hayes told the news outlet.
NewsNation has reached out to the Maine Department of Education for comment.
In a statement, an HHS spokesperson said the agency will “investigate and enforce Title IX to the full extent permitted by law.”
“Maine must comply with Title IX or risk losing federal funding,” the statement said. The statement did not address why federal officials did not talk to state officials.
An investigation into Maine’s Department of Education began Feb. 21, one day after Maine Gov. Janet Mills and President Donald Trump sparred over the issue of trans girls in women’s sports at the White House.
A state lawmaker who oversees education matters said he was “in awe” over how the investigation lasted four days.
“Nothing happens that fast,” said state Sen. Joe Rafferty, a Democrat, said in an interview with the newspaper.
Trump signs executive order on student loan forgiveness program
In February, the Maine Principals’ Association said it would continue to allow transgender women to compete under state law, despite an executive order signed by Trump banning it.
Mills said at the time that if the president “attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of federal funding, my administration and the attorney general will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides.”
“The state of Maine will not be intimidated by the president’s threats,” she said.
When the investigation was announced, Mills said she imagined its outcome was “all but predetermined,” the Portland Press-Herald wrote.
“My administration will begin work with the attorney general to defend the interests of Maine people in the court of law,” Mills said, according to the Press-Herald. “But do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a president can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”
