BALTIMORE — The feds have officially launched a civil rights investigation into the Maryland State Department of Education and three County school districts.
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, Maryland may be in violation of federal Title IX laws.
Title IX specifically prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational activities and programs that receive federal financial assistance.
U.S. Education Department officials said they received complaints about Maryland requiring schools to allow boys in girls sports, and to share sensitive spaces like locker and bathrooms.
The three Maryland public school districts targeted in the probe include Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's Counties
“The practice of allowing students to access sex-separated programs and facilities based solely on self-asserted ‘gender identity’ is deeply troubling and raises significant legal concerns,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey.
Last December WMAR-2 News reported on the Frederick County School Board's approval of students participating on sports teams or in physical education classes based on their gender identity and/or expression.
Currently the County school district's policy states "the gender identity of student-athletes is not required to be disclosed to coaches, teammates, opponent’s coaches, or anyone else if not authorized by the student."
The same goes for overnight field trips, where the policy specifically authorizes "students the opportunity to room with others according to their gender identity."
As for Montgomery County Public Schools, their policies on related matters have long been scrutinized.
In April the conservative nonprofit America First Legal filed a complaint over Montgomery County's so called "gender identity policies," which they claim violates federal law.
Then in April of 2025 MCPS was the subject of a Supreme Court battle for denying parents the right to opt their kids out of reading books on LGBTQIA+ related topics inside the classroom.
The school system ultimately lost that case.
We've reached out to the Maryland Department of Education for comment on the investigation, and are awaiting their response.
