U.S. Department of EducationLaunches Investigation Into Saratoga Schools

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into the Saratoga Springs School District on Tuesday for allegedly violating Title IX.

The inquiry came as a result of a letter sent to the department last month by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whose congressional district includes parts of the Saratoga school district.

“The Trump Administration has been unrelenting in our effort to ensure that women and girls’ educational experiences are not marred by sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “It is a clear violation of federal civil rights law, and of women’s dignity, to allow males to participate in female-sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities. Women fought for decades to secure Title IX protections, only to have these protections subverted and betrayed by those who prioritize a distorted ideology over fairness, dignity, and safety.”

“After my strong public advocacy, I want to thank President Donald Trump and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon for swiftly opening a formal investigation into the Saratoga Springs City School District for their failure to uphold Title IX protections for women and girls in sports,” Stefanik said. “The Saratoga Springs School Board’s resolution allowing biological males to participate in girls’ sports and access girls’ locker rooms is a blatant violation of federal law under Title IX and an affront to the progress generations of women have fought to achieve. I remain steadfast in my commitment to fighting for the rights and futures of our young women, and I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump in this important effort. Thank you to the local parents who brought this to my direct attention.”

A letter sent by McMahon to Saratoga’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton includes a request by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights for information it said was required for the investigation, such as: 

• The district’s narrative response to the allegation under investigation and all documents or records referenced in the narrative response; 

• All written policies or procedures in effect in, or followed by, the district during the 2024-2025 school year regarding the participation of male student athletes on girls’ athletic teams and/or their access to girls’ locker rooms;

• A copy of the district’s policy describing the definition or meaning of the words “sex,” “gender,” and/or “gender identity”;

• Any documentation regarding inquiries, complaints, or requested revisions to the policies or procedures regarding male participation in girls’ athletic teams and/or their access to girls’ locker rooms;

• A list of the district’s sports teams for girls and separately for boys for the 2024-2025 school year;

• A copy of the district’s athletic team rosters for all interscholastic sports teams classified for girls or women, identifying on each such roster any participants who are male.

The impetus for Stefanik’s letter and the subsequent Education Department investigation was a resolution recently passed by the Saratoga school board titled “Affirming Our Support for Every Student.” The resolution, which did not change any existing school policies, states, among other things, that the Board of Education would:

• reaffirm its support for the district’s policy and regulation 0105 titled “Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity in Education”;

• uphold New York State laws safeguarding vulnerable populations and not comply with directives that violate civil rights protections;

• affirm that every student has a right to an education regardless of immigration status, and that law enforcement officers may not question students on school property except under very specific conditions;

• respect students’ chosen names and pronouns while also ensuring their right to use facilities and participate in activities and sports consistent with their gender identity.

The resolution appeared to be a clear attempt to combat several Trump administration policies that threaten to rescind federal funds from educational institutions that don’t comply with the president’s executive orders. According to Saratoga School Board Vice President Tony Krackeler, $3.1 million of the district’s 2024-25 budget came from the federal government. All of those funds, Krackeler said, are only amendable by an act of Congress.

According to the district’s Physician Advisor Dr. Emanuel Cirenza, there has only been one instance of a transgender athlete in the district in the last 28 years.

Prior to the investigation, the resolution attracted national attention due to the popular conservative X account “Libs of TikTok,” and the Riley Gaines Center, which sent its Ambassador Kaitlynn Wheeler to an April 10 Saratoga school board meeting to protest the resolution.

Stefanik is reportedly considering a run for governor after her nomination for UN ambassador was withdrawn earlier this year.