This story was updated at 4:01 p.m.
The Trump administration has opened an investigation into the Champlain Valley School District over the school’s policies concerning transgender athletes.
The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday it was investigating 15 school districts and three colleges across 10 states, including the Chittenden County district.
It said the investigations were prompted by complaints filed against the schools under the civil rights law, Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any program that receives federal funding.
Champlain Valley School District superintendent Adam Bunting said he received notice of the district’s involvement in the multistate investigation after the press release went out from the U.S. Department of Education.
Bunting said he has not received any complaints from the community.
“We are really clear,” he said. “It is our job to welcome the identities of all of our students. Growth and belonging are core to any educational organization and we are grateful for each and every student who is in our district.”
Bunting said he knows not everyone agrees with the idea of allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ teams, but it is a state policy, and in his district he has not seen it affect any competition.
“You know, we are here to have the hard conversations,” Bunting said. “I understand that there are a lot of perspectives on trans youth participating in sports. But what people want at their core is to be in community, and to be connected, and I see that as one of the core things we do at school.”
The Trump administration has been threatening to crack down on schools that allow transgender athletes to compete based on their gender identity, and many colleges and school districts have changed their policies to appease the administration.
But many schools have continued to allow transgender athletes to compete, and the investigation targets some of those districts.
“Time and again, the Trump Administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a press release. “We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs— a fight that started over half a century ago and is far from finished.”
The investigation was announced a day after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over policies banning transgender girls from participating in public school sports in two states.
The Vermont Agency of Education has issued guidance to schools that generally directs schools to allow students to compete in accordance with the student’s gender identity.
Jay Nichols is the executive director of the Vermont Principal’s Association, which oversees the sports programs in Vermont schools. “Our perspective has been, you know, let’s let kids play, let’s make inclusive environments for all kids,” Nichols said. “You know we follow the law, whatever the law is, and the law in Vermont is what it is and we’re going to continue to follow the law.”
