Article:

Maine has had a bumpy month, with funding cuts, a censured lawmaker and citizen protests, after the Democratic governor tangled with President Donald Trump over the issue of transgender athletes.

School leaders in Maine said they will not heed a Trump administration warning to ban a transgender athlete from competing with cisgender girls.

Banning the athlete would violate Maine’s anti-discrimination laws, the school district’s board of directors, who oversee schools in Cumberland and North Yarmouth, said in a letter to community members this week. The announcement comes after school leaders made public displays of support for Maine’s laws and policies affecting transgender athletes after a public showdown between Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills over the issue grabbed national headlines.

By allowing the single Greely High School student to compete, the board of directors said the district is following its own guidelines “promoting a safe, caring and ethical learning environment where each person will be treated with respect and fairness.”

Last week, federal officials told the Maine Department of Education and administrators at Greely High School that allowing transgender girls on girls’ sports teams violates Title IX protections for women. The school district overseeing the high school said it was given 10 days to comply “or risk further action.”

The student-athlete at Cumberland’s Greely High School recently became a national focal point, ending up in the crosshairs of Trump’s policies after the president signed an executive order in February aimed at “keeping men out” of women’s sports.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills told Trump at the White House later that month that Maine would follow state laws allowing athletes to compete on teams aligning with their gender identity. The remark fueled a heated public exchange between the two, and in March, the USDA paused federal funding for Maine’s university system.

In its letter, the Maine school district directly addressed its students, who district leaders said did not let themselves become preoccupied by the angry rhetoric surrounding their peers and school sports.

“To our students: Thank you for your maturity, perseverance, and dedication to learning through these distractions. Please continue to lead the way,” the school district wrote in its letter.

Since the school district is not complying with the U.S. Department of Health and Services warning, no school rules have changed, the district told teachers. The district encouraged educators to support each student both socially and academically.

“Thank you for your honesty, perspective, and continued kindness towards one another. Together, we will continue to build a brighter future,” the letter said.

The school district’s superintendent and Greely High School’s athletic director did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the school’s athletic community and sports policies.