BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday announced investigations into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and two universities where violations of Title IX have been reported.
The investigations are pursuant to President Donald Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order signed on Wednesday, federal education officials said in a statement on Thursday morning. Investigations have also been launched into San Jose State University and the University of Pennsylvania.
In Massachusetts, a girls’ high school basketball team forfeited a game after a male playing for the opposing female team reportedly injured three female players, federal officials said.
“President Trump’s Executive Order ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ is a promise to women and girls: this administration will not tolerate the mistreatment of female athletes,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement.
“The Department is taking swift action to investigate three entities for suspected Title IX violations: San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association,” Trainor said.
“The previous administration trampled the rights of American women and girls—and ignored the indignities to which they were subjected in bathrooms and locker rooms—to promote a radical transgender ideology. That regime ended on January 20, 2025,” Trainor said.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s handbook states that a “student shall not be excluded from participation on a gender-specific sports team that is consistent with the student’s bona fide gender identity.”
In a statement Thursday, the MIAA said, “The MIAA has been notified of an investigation initiated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding an alleged violation of Title IX.”
“The MIAA has historically complied with all applicable federal and state laws,” the statement said. “We are currently seeking guidance from the Office of the Attorney General and our own legal counsel on our next step. We are especially interested in determining this investigation’s impact on teams currently playing the winter season and on our upcoming tournaments.”
In a statement Thursday, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, “Instead of increasing resources to schools, cutting costs for families, or any other solution that would actually help people in Massachusetts, Donald Trump is punching down on a small handful of kids that just want to play sports with their friends.”
“Trans kids are valued, they are loved, and we will not stop fighting for them,” Warren said.
Paula Scanlan, former University of Pennsylvania Women’s Swimming and Diving athlete, said in a statement that she is “deeply grateful to the Department of Education for addressing Title IX violations concerning female athletes with such seriousness.”
“As a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who was forced to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I look forward to them holding accountable the higher education institutions that promoted this,” Scanlan said.
Additionally, the Office of Civil Rights “is actively reviewing athletic participation policies at a number of schools to evaluate their alignment with Title IX protections for female athletes,” federal officials said.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education notified K-12 schools and higher education institutions of a return to enforcing Title IX protections on the basis of biological sex.
Wednesday’s executive order ensures that federally-funded institutions of higher education “prioritize fairness and safety in women’s sports,” officials said.
At San Jose State University, male athlete Blaire Fleming’s dominant performance on the women’s volleyball team, which included reported dangerous strikes at opponent’s faces, forced competing teams to forfeit games to protect their female athletes, federal officials said.
In one reported incident during a game, Fleming’s spike hit another female player in the face, knocking the 5-foot-7 junior to the floor.
A lawsuit against San Jose State University alleges that the university awarded Fleming a scholarship over several female players and that the university retaliated against those, including the women’s volleyball assistant coach, who defended female athletes, Fox News reported.
Federal officials said the University of Pennsylvania awarded Lia Thomas, a biological male, a roster spot on the Women’s Swimming and Diving team.
In July 2023, Scanlan, one of Thomas’ former teammates, testified before Congress that she and her teammates were “offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male,” Fox News reported.
“My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a 6-foot-4 tall biological male, fully intact with male genitalia 18 times per week. Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls, and others used the family bathroom to avoid this,” Scanlan testified.
“When we tried to voice our concerns to the athletic department, we were told that Lia’s swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable,” she testified.
“To sum up the university’s response, we the women were the problem, not the victims. We were expected to conform, to move over and shut up,” Scanlan testified.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
