The Regional School Unit (RSU) 73 School Board, serving Jay, Livermore, and Livermore Falls, voted on Thursday night to alter policies to comply with the federal interpretation of Title IX Antidiscrimination Laws and bar transgender-identifying males from female sports, locker rooms, and restrooms.
[RELATED: Another Maine School District Removes Pro-Trans Policy after Overwhelming Board Vote…]
“I find it so unfortunate that the conversation tonight seems to be about separating our kids, that’s not what this (is) considering what is fair, what’s healthy, what’s safe, for all students, not one particular group of students,” said Rep. Sheila Lyman (R-Livermore Falls) speaking at the board meeting.
The board made their decision despite recommendations to the stick to the policies that allowed trangender-identifying males in female sports from the school’s attorney, from the Drummond-Woodsum law firm, which has previously testified in support of pro-trans policies, and numerous pro-trans testimonies from members of the community.
[RELATED: Maine School Districts Must Allow Male Athletes in Girls’ Sports, Drummond Woodsum Memo States…]
The meeting began with a closed executive session where the board heard legal advice regarding potential changes to their Title IX policies. Maine schools face a legal dilemma when considering their transgender policies. If they continue to allow males to compete in girls’ sports, they risk a potential loss of federal funds for violating the federal government’s interpretation of Title IX.
If they choose to alter their policies, they face potential repercussions from the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA) and the state for violating the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA), which enshrines gender identity as a protected class.
Following the executive session, the board heard numerous testimonies from the public. Though people spoke on both sides of the issue, supporters of the current pro-trans policies outnumbered those who wished to comply with the Title IX requirements established by President Donald Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
“Should sex distinction as God ordained it, and sex based privacy not be protected by this school district, my own daughters will have no participation in RSU 73,” said Adam Gettle, a former coach at the school district.
One supporter of the pro-trans policies, Joseph Bosse of Livermore Falls, delivered his testimony while wearing a “Team Nice” T-shirt.
“There’s an ongoing deliberate attempt to strip transgender students of the right to participate in school sports, an effort that disguises itself as a concern for fairness but is rooted in fear, misinformation, discrimination, and at the same time this board is [sic] knowingly given space to thinly veiled hate groups,” said Bosse.
The committee passed the changes to their policy with an overwhelming 8-3 vote. Immediately following the vote, members of the public could be heard shouting “shame on you” at the board, prompting the chair to use her gavel and call for order.
According to another witness, though, a girls’ sports team was competing in an event while the board met and players, who were observing the proceedings on their phones, erupted in cheers.
The motion voted on by the board explicitly states that there are only two genders and instructs the board’s policy committee to review existing policies and propose changes to comply with the fact that there are only two genders and to comply with federal antidiscrimination law.
The board will then vote to approve the policy changes proposed by the committee under the direction of Thursday’s motion. Though it is unclear how long the policy committee will take, the board will likely approve its suggested changes, given the overwhelming support for the motion and the fact that none of the current board members are up for re-election until at least 2026.
Despite concerns that changing the policy could result in negative consequences from the state potentially pulling funds, multiple other school districts have now opted to uphold the federal Title IX standards and have faced no state repercussions.
