Portland schools face civil rights probe over transgender athlete

The U.S. Department of Education said on Tuesday its civil rights office is investigating the Portland, Oregon, school system for allowing a transgender high school runner to compete in female sports and use girls locker rooms.

The departments Office for Civil Rights also said it is investigating the Oregon School Activities Association, which oversees high school sports in the state, and its policy of generally allowing transgender students to play gender-specific sports that do not correspond to their sex at birth.

Gender in schools has been a key issue for U.S. President Donald Trump and a hot-button topic around the country.

In a January executive order, Trump said the previous administration had harmed women by trying to extend protections under Title IX of the federal Civil Rights Act to transgender Americans, and Trumps administration has spoken out against what it calls the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women’s sports.

We will not allow the Portland Public Schools District or any other educational entity that receives federal funds to trample on the antidiscrimination protections that women and girls are guaranteed under law, said Craig Trainor, the Department of Educations acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

Kimberlee Armstrong, the superintendent of Portland Public Schools, said in a written statement that the system was cooperating with the federal investigation. She said that her schools are in full compliance with Oregon state law, which may differ from federal guidance.

I stand firm in our legal responsibilities, and I deeply value every students right to be treated with dignity, safety, and respect, Armstrong said.

The Oregon School Activities Association said in a written statement that it had received an investigation notice from the Department of Education, and that it was consulting with its legal counsel on how to respond.

The Department of Education