U.S. Department of Education Initiates Title IX Investigation into New Hampshire School District Over Alleged Use of Girls-Only Spaces by Biological Men
Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened a complaint into the Contoocook Valley School District (the District) in Peterborough, New Hampshire based on reports that the District is allowing biological men to use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms. OCR will determine whether the District violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) by allowing students to access intimate facilities based on “gender identity,” not biological sex. The District allegedly violates federal law by applying state law and district policy to allow boys in girls-only spaces, despite complaints from female students about the privacy and safety issues that their presence presents. It is alleged that discrimination based on sex is also notably absent from Contoocook Valley High School’s non-discrimination policy, with the clause only explicitly promising “a learning environment that is free from discrimination based on race, religion, disabili...