Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) 70’s school board voted unanimously on Monday night to defy the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) and the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) by adopting policies consistent with federal Title IX anti-discrimination laws and banning males from female school sports.
The Hodgdon school board is the first to vote to accept President Donald Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sport,” based Title IX guidelines, in defiance of the state government’s position.
State legislators who oppose the Mills’ administration flaunting federal directives oin this question were quick to weigh in supporting MSAD 70’s decision.
“Thank you to the citizens of Amity, Haynesville, Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow, and New Limerick who spoke up for Maine girls, and the board members who voted for a fair, safe, and level playing field AND safe spaces,” said Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) on X in response to the vote.
Rep. Chad Perkins (R-Dover-Foxcroft) also weighed in on the decision via Facebook.
“Congratulations to the MSAD70 school board for unanimously voting tonight to protect the rights, dignity, safety and opportunities of Maine girls by adopting the federal guidelines for Title IX. The board is doing its job – representing the people that put them there and upholding the welfare of the children in the district. This is leadership,” said Rep. Perkins.
By adopting the federal Title IX rules, MSAD 70 will prevent males from competing in women’s sports and protect women-only spaces such as restrooms and locker rooms from transgender-identifying males.
While the state faces a potential loss of federal funding due to its continued refusal to bar men from girls’ sports, MSAD 70 could face penalties from state authorities for its decision.
Just as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigates the MDOE for violating Title IX, MSAD70 could face penalties for going against the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA), the state law used by MDOE and MPA to justify their defiance of federal law.
The MHRA defines self-determined gender identity as a protected class, and Democratic officials — including most recently the office of Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey — have claimed that compliance with federal Title IX standards would be a violation of the MHRA.
The Maine Wire reached out to the school superintendent, asking what inspired the decision and whether the district expects to face retaliation from state agencies.
“Last night the MSAD #70 School Board made a motion at our monthly public meeting for “MSAD 70 policies to align with Federal Title IX by recognizing only two sexes – biological male and biological female and that all private spaces be separated by biological sex,” said Superintendent Tyler Putnam in a statement to The Maine Wire.
“This motion was approved unanimously by the board. Our board, similar to many people in Maine, have been following the back and forth communication between the federal government and the state. We are hoping for both sides to work together to help support local school districts like ourselves,” Putnam said.
“With the rising educational costs this is a time we need to work with each other and not against. The board and our staff’s #1 priority is to provide our students with an education that will positively impact their future in our great state and country. I am proud to work for and be from our small community in Hodgdon, ME. My hope is that all of our students will benefit from the leadership decisions that are made at the local, state, and national level,” he added
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