US Dept. of Education threatens California, saying state violated Title IX

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The federal government has put California on notice after weeks of push and pull.

The U.S. Department of Education said California violated Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to compete in female sports.

Governor Gavin Newsom responded with sharp criticism of the current Secretary of Education, "It wouldn't be a day ending in 'Y' without the Trump Administration threatening to defund California. Now, Secretary McMahon is confusing government with her WrestleMania days - dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality. This won't stick."

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires schools to ensure equal opportunities for girls, including athletic activities.

This comes weeks after Clovis became the hotbed for national debate when Buchanan High School once again played host to the California Interscholastic Federation Track and Field State Championships.

This year, a junior transgender athlete competed in several events.

Leading up to that competition, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the state if the CIF and the state department of education continued to allow transgender students in sports consistent with their gender identity.

At the time, posting to social media, "THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS."

After the threat, CIF announced they had made an adjustment allowing cisgender athletes to receive duplicate medals if they had placed higher had a transgender athlete not competed.

That resulted in ties in multiple events.

That change wasn't enough for the federal government and it gave the state until June 9th to change its practices. That deadline has come and gone.

Now, federal officials have ordered a new deadline giving the CDE and CIF until July 4th to comply or risk legal action from the Department of Justice.

Assemblymember David Tangipa said the state should take that warning seriously.

"I think the federal administration is more than willing to enforce the law, we have seen that, that are on the books, and have to make sure that California again isn't deciding again that its its own individual country, it's own individual rogue actor and saying that we know better than the federal government," said Assm. David Tangipa, (R) Fresno.

The California Department of Education also weighed in, providing this statement: "The California Department of Education believes all students should have the opportunity to learn and play at school, and we have consistently applied existing law in support of students' rights to do so."

A spokesperson for CIF said they don't comment on legal matters.