Feds Warn Minnesota Of ‘Imminent Enforcement Action’ Over Alleged Title IX Violations

ST. PAUL, MN — The federal government has warned Minnesota that "imminent enforcement action" is coming after concluding the state violated Title IX by allowing male athletes to compete in girls’ sports and access female-only facilities.

In a Sept. 30 letter, the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services accused the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) of defying President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”

Earlier this year, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi cautioned that “Minnesota should be on notice” over its handling of transgender athlete participation, signaling that federal enforcement was likely.

Following the Sept. 30 letter, Minnesota was given 10 days to comply with federal directives or risk losing education funding. That deadline expired Friday.

"Once an education program or entity takes federal funds, Title IX compliance becomes mandatory," said Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. "The federal government will hold Minnesota accountable until it recognizes that fact."

The federal order demands that MDE and MSHSL immediately:

• Rescind any policy allowing males to compete in female athletic programs
• Enforce biological separation of all school sports teams and facilities
• Adopt biology-based definitions of “male” and “female”
• Restore records, titles, and awards to female athletes displaced by male competitors
• Send written apologies to affected athletes
• Conduct new Title IX training for staff, approved by federal officials
• Certify compliance annually

Failure to comply could cut off millions in federal aid to Minnesota schools, including programs for special education, nutrition, and early learning.

So far, 230 school board members in Minnesota have signed a petition calling on the state to comply with the federal mandate.

But state leaders say Trump’s order doesn’t override Minnesota law.

Attorney General Keith Ellison has said the MSHSL "should follow state law for its transgender athlete policy, rather than the president’s order," arguing that compliance with the executive order would violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which protects gender identity.

With the federal deadline passed, the standoff between Washington and St. Paul is expected to escalate, setting up a high-profile legal clash over who defines "sex" under Title IX.

Neither the Minnesota Department of Education nor the Minnesota State High School League has commented on whether they will comply or fight the federal finding in court.