The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) issued its final warning to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) on Monday for its continued violation of Title IX anti-discrimination laws by allowing males to compete in girls’ sports.

“Under prior administrations, enforcement was an illusory proposition. No more. The Trump-McMahon Education Department is moving quickly to ensure that federal funds no longer support patently illegal practices that harm women and girls,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor.

Earlier this month, the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) found the MDOE in violation of Title IX for allowing transgender-identifying males into women’s sports and women-only spaces such as locker rooms and restrooms. Those findings came along with a proposed resolution agreement that would have allowed the MDOE to voluntarily come to terms.

The DOE offered its resolution on March 19, but the state refused to respond, leading the MDOE to issue its final warning on Monday in the form of a letter of impasse.

The letter of impasse notifies the MDOE that if it does not agree to the proposed resolution by April 11, the case will be referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ), resulting in a loss of federal funding for the MDOE.

Despite repeated warnings and investigations from multiple federal agencies, the MDOE appears intent on refusing to comply with federal law, even at the risk of losing federal funding.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which also found Maine to be in breach of Title IX, referred its complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice after the Maine Principals’ Association announced it would not comply with a proposed resolution. Should the state ignore this second warning from a federal agency, it will trigger yet another referral to the U.S. Attorney General.