The Department of Education is threatening sanctions against Denver public schools over their use of all-gender restrooms, the latest Trump administration action against gender-related accommodations.
According to a Thursday release from the Education Department, its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) “found that Denver Public Schools (the District) violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and its implementing regulations.”
“OCR concluded that the District’s conversion of sex-separated multi-stall restrooms to ‘all-gender’ facilities and its policies contained in the ‘Denver Public Schools LGBTQ+ Toolkit,’ which allow students to use intimate facilities corresponding to their ‘gender identity’ rather than biological sex, violate Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination,” the press release said.
Back in January, the Department of Education began an investigation against Denver Public Schools for changing a girl’s restroom into an all-gender one.
“Denver Public Schools violated Title IX and its implementing regulations by converting a sex-segregated restroom designated for girls in East High School to an ‘all-gender’ facility and by allowing students to use the high school’s intimate facilities on the basis of their ‘gender identity’ rather than their biological sex,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said.
“As a result, the District is creating a hostile environment for its students by endangering their safety, privacy, and dignity while denying them access to equal educational activities and opportunities,” Trainor added.
The OCR said it had put forth “a proposed Resolution Agreement to” the Denver schools “to resolve its Title IX violations” that includes it having to “convert and redesignate all multi-stall restrooms for use by both sexes in any District school back to sex-designated multi-stall restroom.”
“OCR has offered the District an opportunity to voluntarily agree within 10 days or risk imminent enforcement action,” the Department said.
The Hill has reached out to Denver Public Schools for comment.
President Trump has repeatedly sought to clamp down on transgender Americans and schools that accommodate their identity, launching investigations at all levels of education.
On Tuesday, House Republicans introduced legislation that would bar transgender girls from sports teams or restrooms that match their gender identity.
