WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ OCR announced Tuesday that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) are in violation of Title IX for permitting male athletes to compete in female-designated sports and access female facilities.
The joint finding follows investigations into MDE and MSHSL policies and practices, as well as a high-profile incident earlier this year when a male athlete pitched Champlin Park High School to a state girls’ softball championship. Federal officials concluded the state entities failed to comply with Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funds.
“For too many years, Minnesota’s political leadership has found itself on the wrong side of justice, common sense, and the American people,” said Craig Trainor, ED’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. “The Trump Administration will not allow Minnesota or any other state to sacrifice the safety, fair treatment, and dignity of its female students to appease the false idols of radical gender ideology.”
Paula M. Stannard, director of HHS’ OCR, said the violations denied female athletes the equal opportunities required under federal law. “Minnesota fails to recognize the fundamental biological differences between males and females—differences that justify single-sex teams and are essential to ensuring fair and safe competition for girls and women,” she said.
Federal officials have given MDE and MSHSL 10 days to agree to a resolution or face enforcement action. Required steps include rescinding policies that allow male athletes in girls’ sports, issuing statewide compliance notices, restoring titles to female athletes, and revising training and procedures to align with Title IX requirements.
The resolution also calls on MDE to issue letters of apology to female athletes who lost opportunities due to the violations and to require annual compliance certifications from schools and the league.
MDE’s 2017 “Toolkit for Ensuring Safe and Supportive Schools for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students” and MSHSL’s guidelines allowing students to participate consistent with their gender identity were cited as policies in conflict with Title IX.
The case was elevated in June 2025 to ED’s Title IX Special Investigations Team, in partnership with the Department of Justice, after reports of repeated male participation in female athletics.
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. Federal agencies have authority to suspend funding or pursue other enforcement measures when compliance is not achieved.
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