The U.S. Department of Education has opened a federal investigation into a western Wisconsin school district over its transgender bathroom policy.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Thursday a directed investigation into the New Richmond School District to determine whether its bathroom policy violates Title IX protections for female students. The announcement cited a contentious January school board meeting where parents and Moms for Liberty demanded the district bar biological males from girls’ bathrooms.
“The Trump Administration will always stand up for students and enforce Title IX to ensure that women and girls are safe when they are at school,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey. “Young women should never be forced to share intimate spaces with boys and men because school leaders care more about radical gender ideology than protecting girls’ safety, dignity, and privacy.”
The New Richmond School District superintendent and school board members did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (RELATED: Wisconsin Democrats Reintroduce Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill)
Title IX, on the books since 1972, has shifted with each administration. Trump’s first term mandated students use facilities matching their biological sex. The Biden administration reversed that in 2024, allowing transgender students to use facilities aligned with their gender identity — a change that was subsequently struck down. The Trump administration has since announced it will enforce the 2020 restrictions.
The district’s attorney has warned that policies contradicting more recent court rulings affirming transgender students’ bathroom rights could expose the district to lawsuits. (RELATED: Wisconsin Squandered $18.5 Million in Medicaid Funds for Autism Therapy, Federal Audit Finds)
The investigation has drawn immediate reaction from Wisconsin Republicans. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor, shared the department’s announcement and said “It’s sick that (Gov. Tony Evers) refuses to stand up for female students. As governor, I will protect girls’ spaces and put an end to this nonsense.”
Republican Michael Alfonso, running for Tiffany’s congressional seat and endorsed by President Trump, accused the district of “criminally allowing biological males to use female restrooms.” Alfonso is U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s son-in-law and faces four other Republican candidates in the 7th Congressional District primary.
