Trump administration investigates Great Valley School District over transgender sports policies

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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has opened a Title IX investigation into the Great Valley School District in Chester County.

In 2016, the Great Valley Board of School Directors passed a number of policies to ensure equal access for transgender students, including a provision allowing students to participate in sports based on their gender identity.

It’s a decade-old policy — but the Office of Civil Rights received a complaint alleging the provision discriminates against students based on sex.

The Trump administration’s probe into the Great Valley School District is one of 18 recently announced investigations against K-12 school districts and higher education institutions across the country.

“We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs—a fight that started over half a century ago and is far from finished,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey in a Jan. 14 press release.

In a written statement to WHYY News, the Great Valley Board of School Directors said the district is aware of the investigation and working with counsel on a response.

“The District takes its obligations under Title IX and all federal civil rights laws seriously,” the statement read. “We also take our responsibilities to comply with the legal rulings from the Federal Courts in this jurisdiction and to provide the protections afforded our students by Pennsylvania statutes just as seriously.”

The Great Valley School District serves about 5,000 students from Malvern Borough, as well as neighboring Charlestown, East Whiteland and Willistown townships.

“We continue to review the requests in the OCR letter and we will be responsive to the Office for Civil Rights throughout their review process,” the statement read. “We remain focused on providing a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environment for every student we serve.”

President Donald Trump entered his second term by signing a number of executive orders impacting LGBTQ people. His administration also banned transgender people from military service.

The avalanche of investigations comes as the U.S. Supreme Court signals a desire to allow states to ban trans girls and women from participating in school sports.