A school district has been caught up in a row over male mascots on girls’ teams (Getty Images, stock)
A school district in Colorado has called out Trump’s Department of Education for allegedly targeting them over male sports mascots.
The district has claimed that schools have been targeted for having 61 boys on the roster for girls’ sports teams. However, all of the names provided by the Department of Education are mascots, trainers or managers, leading the district to call the claims “simply not true”.
Jeffco Public Schools issued a public letter that details an investigation by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) since it was launched in June 2025. The OCR is responsible for deploying Trump’s Title IX, which includes the lawful restriction of transgender athletes’ participation in school sports.
The Department of Education announced in March that “male students may occupy up to 61 roster positions on girls’ sports teams in the District”, stating that Jeffco Public Schools had therefore violated Title IX.
A further press release this month stated that Jeffco Public Schools had “blatantly violated Title IX” with its restroom and locker policies. The release went on to say that a review of the district’s rosters “found the District allowed male students to occupy roster sports on girls’ sports teams, displacing girls from the athletic programs designed for female students.” It also warned that enforcement action would be taken.
In the district’s public letter, it states that the OCR has jumped to conclusions and has never asked for clarification about the roles the named men provided. The school went on to say that they hadn’t learned of the confusion until the press release was issued.
“Since that moment, we have repeatedly and respectfully asked the OCR to address this factual error. They have declined to do so,” the letter said.
The letter also says that the district is struggling to balance Trump’s “current interpretation of Title IX” with the comprehensive non-discrimination statutes in place in Colorado. “This places school districts in an impossible position,” the letter said. “We must navigate conflicting requirements with clear state law on one side and non-binding federal guidance on the other.”
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