Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a warning letter to Jefferson County Public Schools (the District) in Colorado for its ongoing refusal to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). This letter informs the District that a Letter of Impending Enforcement Action will be issued in 10 calendar days if the District continues their refusal to come into compliance with federal law.
In March 2026, OCR concluded that the District had blatantly violated Title IX by allowing male students to participate in female sports, occupy female bathrooms and locker rooms, and even share overnight accommodations with females based on their “gender identity.” A review of Jefferson County’s athletic rosters found the District allowed male students to occupy roster spots on girls’ sports teams, displacing girls from the athletic programs designed for female students. The District also had policies that would have allowed students as young as 11 years old to share overnight accommodations on school trips with members of the opposite sex.
Despite OCR providing the District with a proposed Resolution Agreement that would resolve its Title IX violations, the District has taken no action to protect women and girls. Today’s letter of impasse notifies the District that OCR will prepare for impending enforcement, which, following OCR’s regulatory procedures, could ultimately result in termination of the District’s federal education funding.
“Not only did the District trample on females’ sex-based protections by allowing males to compete in their sports, intrude in their bathrooms, and sleep in their overnight accommodations, but now it refuses to fix the problem after being given the chance. It is indifferent to the law and to the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls. Its behavior here is unconscionable,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey. “The District must restore Title IX protections or risk further enforcement action. As we continue to honor June as Title IX Month, the Trump Administration will not allow students to continue to be abused at the hands of a radical ideological agenda that undermines the basic protections to which they are entitled under law.”
Background
In June 2025, OCR initiated an investigation into the District amid allegations that it violates Title IX by removing the safeguard of single-sex overnight accommodations on District trips. In March 2026, OCR concluded that the District’s Title IX violations extend beyond accommodations, concluding the District also discriminates against females by allowing males to access female-only facilities and compete in girls’ sports.
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.
