(The Center Square) – The Protect the Public’s Trust group filed a federal complaint against the Dayton Public School District, alleging it violated Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports and concealing their biological sex from other parents.
Following Ohio’s House Bill 68, which bans transgender students from girls’ sports teams, Protect the Public’s Trust filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
The complaint demands an immediate investigation into the district’s alleged violations.
“Another day, another set of Ohio schools still peddling discriminatory ideology, apparently in violation of both state law and Title IX,” Michael Chamberlain, director of PPT, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It seems deeply ingrained in those who work in school systems in the state, despite the wishes of the communities and leadership at the state and local levels. This should serve as a stark warning that even schools in parts of the country vehemently opposed to this destructive school of thought are not immune from having it imposed on their children.”
The complaint stemmed from an undercover video by Accuracy in Media investigators posing as prospective parents, in which Dayton Public Schools Athletics Administrative Assistant Mauryce Neal confirmed the district allows transgender athletes to compete on girls’ sports teams.
In the undercover video, Neal agreed to keep the information about the prospective transgender student’s status “in house” and not inform other parties.
“Ohio’s schools are run by activists and radicals,” Adam Guillette, president of AIM, said. “They’re not searching for the latest techniques and technology to educate children. They’re searching for ways to break laws and push radical ideologies.”
Dayton Public Schools officials said Neal attempted to follow up with the undercover investigator to correct her statements, but calls went unanswered and emails were undeliverable, according to the Dayton Daily News.
“The district takes this matter seriously,” said David Lawrence, Dayton Public Schools superintendent. “Upon reviewing the full context of the interaction, including any subsequent communications that occurred, we believe the video has been very selectively edited with key details omitted.”
Since President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February, banning transgender athletes from women’s sports and directing federal investigations into Title IX violations, the situation has escalated nationwide.
PPT argues that enforcing Title IX ensures girls can compete fairly and remain free from harassment and privacy violations in locker rooms and on sports teams
“Because nobody would know other than the school administrators that a student claiming to be female is actually male, this would mean that the male student is accessing privacy facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms,” Chamberlain wrote in the complaint. “This too is sexual harassment. At the very least, the school is demonstrating deliberate indifference to harassment, which is enough under Title IX.”
