After launching an investigation in February, the Department of Education (DOE) announced Friday that five Virginia county school districts are in violation of Title IX for sex discrimination.

The districts include Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools. The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation found they all prioritized so-called “gender identity” over biological reality by allowing biological males — identifying as females — to enter private female spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms.

In a press release, DOE stated, “The investigation was based on complaints alleging that the Divisions have similar anti-discrimination policies pertaining to ‘transgender-identifying’ students, which violate the sex-based protections of Title IX.” The investigation was prompted by multiple lawsuits, informal complaints, and reports indicating that students, particularly female students, avoid restrooms due to these policies. Some reports even detailed instances of male students inappropriately touching others or observing female students changing in locker rooms, raising significant safety and privacy concerns.

To address these violations, the OCR issued Resolution Agreements to each district, outlining specific corrective — and required — actions:

1. “Rescind the policies and/or regulations that allow students to access intimate facilities based on their ‘gender identity’ rather than their sex;
2. “Issue a memorandum to each Division school explaining that any future policies related to access to intimate facilities must be consistent with Title IX by separating students strictly on the basis of sex, and that Title IX ensures women’s equal opportunity in any education program or activity including athletic programs; and
3. “Adopt biology-based definitions of the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ in all practices and policies relating to Title IX.”

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) responded with a public statement, saying, “PWCS will conduct a thorough review of the [OCR] document and respond appropriately through the proper channels.” The district added, “PWCS will continue to work collaboratively with OCR and all stakeholders to ensure compliance with Title IX and to support the well-being and dignity of every student.” However, PWCS also emphasized its commitment to “fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for all students and staff.”

Other districts issued nearly identical statements, expressing intentions to review the Resolution Agreements while reaffirming their dedication to “fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff,” as a Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson told Breitbart News.

Acting Assistant Secretary for OCR Craig Trainor spoke on the issue. “Although this type of behavior was tolerated by the previous Administration,” he stressed, “it’s time for Northern Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology and unlawful discrimination to come to an end. OCR’s investigation definitively shows that these five Virginia school districts have been trampling on the rights of students in the service of an extreme political ideology.” He added, “The Trump Administration will not sacrifice the safety, dignity, and innocence of America’s young women and girls at the altar of an anti-scientific illiberalism.”

The DOE’s actions extend beyond Virginia. On the same day, the department announced a new investigation into the Oregon Department of Education, focusing on similar concerns. The DOE noted, “This investigation comes amid allegations that ODE’s policies allow males to compete in female sports in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972’s (Title IX) prohibition on sex discrimination.” This probe was also spurred by a complaint from the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).

Trainor commented on this development as well, stating, “If Oregon is permitting males to compete in women’s sports, it is allowing these males to steal the accolades and opportunities that female competitors have rightfully earned through hard work and grit, while callously disregarding women’s and girls’ safety, dignity, and privacy. Title IX does not permit that shameful arrangement, and we will not tolerate it.”

The broader impact of such policies is underscored by a recent report from Concerned Women for America (CWA), which revealed that “trans-identifying males have stolen over 1,941 gold medals from women and girls in the United States, pushing each rightful champion down to second place.” The report highlighted that in California alone, “over 521 women and girls have taken silver below a male allowed to compete in the women’s category.” It further noted that “trans-identifying males have competed in more than 10,067 female sport events, amateur and professional,” securing over $493,173 in prize money that would have otherwise gone to female competitors.

Trainor reflected on recent efforts, stating, “In the last six months, the Trump Administration has made historic strides in cleaning up the countless failures of the Biden Administration, including the prior Administration’s dedication to gender ideology extremism.” Regarding Oregon, he emphasized, “It appears to have missed the message: The Trump Administration will not allow educational institutions that receive federal funds to continue trampling upon women’s rights.”

Mary Szoch, a former NCAA Division I athlete and director of Family Research Council’s Center for Human Dignity, spoke passionately about the issue in a statement to The Washington Stand. “The people who have allowed men into women’s bathrooms and locker rooms must be held accountable,” she urged. “The fact that administrators in Northern Virginia schools are continuing to allow women’s lives and safety to be at risk is disgusting and unimaginable. Those responsible should lose their jobs and face justice.”

Commenting on the CWA report, Szoch added, “The fact that over 1,900 gold medals were stolen from women by men is ridiculous. Why would any girl living in California even want to play sports if there is a decent chance she will have to deal with a man in her locker room and then one standing ahead of her on the podium?” Ultimately, she asserted, it boils down to biological reality. “Basic biological differences,” Szoch said, “require that women have their own spaces and their own sports. Little kids understand this, but somehow Democrats can’t.”

In a call to action, Szoch concluded, “We need to pray for our country and vote out every single elected official at every level who has allowed this to continue.”