The U.S. Department of Education has issued a 10-day deadline for the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League to resolve an ongoing Title IX dispute, warning of potential federal enforcement action.
In a letter sent on Dec. 22, federal officials said Minnesota has not complied with Title IX requirements following a civil rights investigation, and its “proactive refusal to voluntarily negotiate resolution” of the investigation’s concerns puts the situation at “Impasse.”
This notice comes after months of disagreement between federal authorities and state officials over Minnesota’s policies regarding the participation of transgender athletes in sex-segregated sports. Previously, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights found that Minnesota violated Title IX by allowing males to compete in female-designated athletic programs and to access female-only sensitive spaces (such as locker rooms and restrooms). The sports male athletes have been allowed to compete in include girls Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing, girls lacrosse, girls track and field, girls volleyball, and girls softball.
The dispute escalated in mid-December after Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison informed the U.S. Department of Education that the state would not accept the proposed voluntary resolution agreement or enter negotiations, according to the department’s letter, prompting the issuance of a 10-day deadline before a “Letter of Impending Enforcement Action.” The proposed voluntary resolution agreement specified actions for Minnesota and the Minnesota State High School League to take to “remedy current and past discrimination and prevent future similar violative conduct.”
If Minnesota and the Minnesota State High School League fail to come to an agreement within the 10-day window, the U.S. Department of Education plans to move forward with enforcement action to ensure compliance with federal civil rights law. Enforcement action may include “the initiation of an administrative process…to suspend, terminate, or refuse to grant or to continue Federal funding – or other means authorized by law including referral to the Department of Justice,” according to the department’s letter.
Hundreds of school board members (326) in 125 districts across Minnesota have called for the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League to comply with Title IX and enter into the offered resolution agreement.
For FY 2024, Minnesota received $1.4 billion ($1,399,704,851) in federal education funding, or 7.9 percent of its total revenue. (Funding levels in FY 2025 are projected to be lower than in FY 2024 due to the expiration of federal COVID funding. Also, keep in mind that these federal dollars didn’t only come from the U.S. Department of Education — for example, also included is money from other federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture for school nutrition programs.)
Federal education funding is passed through to school districts using multiple funding mechanisms, each with its own rules for distribution. Some funds are distributed automatically using formulas based on student enrollment, while others are based on student demographics and characteristics, including income level, English learner status, or special education eligibility. Districts can also submit applications to receive additional funding through various grant programs.
Use the spreadsheet below to identify the federal dollars your school district received in FY 2024.
