The Trump administration took its next step toward revoking tens of millions of dollars in federal funding from Jeffco Public Schools on Friday, sending the district letters of “impending enforcement action” over its policies related to transgender students.
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Jeffco Public Schools officials are now calling on Colorado leaders — Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser and state education Commissioner Susana Córdova — to jump into the fray as the district says it faces a loss of $90 million in federal funding.
In a letter released Friday, district leaders asked Polis, Weiser and Córdova to publicly support Jeffco Public Schools as being in line with Colorado anti-discrimination law and to participate in any legal defense should the matter end up in court.
“Over the last 18 months, Colorado has joined multiple out-of-state lawsuits challenging various actions and pronouncements of the Trump administration. Few such cases presented a risk to Colorado as discrete and imminent as our circumstance,” departing Superintendent Tracy Dorland and incoming interim Superintendent Rob Stein wrote.
In the wake of $40 million in budget cuts that caused layoffs and lost programs, the district now faces spending scarce resources “in what is, undoubtedly, a proxy fight in defense of Colorado law,” Dorland and Stein wrote. “We cannot do this alone.”
In a statement, Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama said the governor’s office received the school district’s letter and is evaluating next steps.
“In our Colorado for all, we believe in protecting freedom, and building a welcoming state where everyone can thrive, no matter who you are or how you identify. The Trump Administration should focus on strengthening our schools and helping students learn and educators teach, not creating fear for students and families,” he said.
A spokesperson for Weiser declined to comment on the case and the school district’s request for help. The Colorado Department of Education did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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Officials with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights have accused the Jefferson County school district of violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by allowing transgender students to compete in female sports and use girls’ bathrooms.
Jeffco officials have denied those allegations.
“Jefferson County Public Schools has refused to correct its widespread and blatant Title IX violations, including policies as egregious as allowing children to share overnight accommodations with members of the opposite sex, despite repeated opportunities to come into compliance with the law,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a news release.
School district officials on Friday said federal education officials have not answered questions about how the district is supposed to follow both Colorado law and the agency’s Title IX interpretation, and instead ended negotiations and canceled a meeting.
The federal agency once more gave Jeffco Public Schools 10 days to comply or face enforcement action, which could include administrative enforcement, referral to the U.S. Department of Justice and loss of federal funding.
It’s the third time the Education Department has given Jeffco a 10-day deadline to change its policies.
“Jeffco remains committed to ensuring every student has access to a safe, welcoming and equitable educational experience, and we will continue working toward solutions that reflect both our legal obligations and our unwavering commitment to all students,” district officials said Friday.
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