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California families celebrate Trump administration’s probe into state’s refusal to follow trans athlete order

President Donald Trump’s Department of Education plans to investigate California’s public school athletic association, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), for not complying with his executive order to ban transgender athletes from girls sports.

The California Family Council (CFC) praised the decision.

“The California Family Council celebrates the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to launch a Title IX investigation into the CIF for its role in allowing males to compete in girls sports,” the statement said.

“For too long, CIF has turned a blind eye to the concerns of female athletes, parents and coaches, prioritizing radical gender ideology over fairness, safety and the integrity of women’s athletics. This investigation is a crucial step toward restoring justice in high school sports.”

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Students at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Calif., wear T-shirts that say “Save Girls Sports” to protest a transgender athlete on the cross-country team. (Courtesy of Sophia Lorey)

CFC Outreach Director Sophia Lorey said the Trump administration’s intervention has made her cry “tears of joy.”

“As a four-year CIF varsity athlete and a three-year captain, I have been fighting for all girls to have the same athletic opportunities I had,” Lorey said. “CIF’s policies have undermined decades of hard-fought victories for female athletes, and it’s time for them to answer for the harm they’ve caused. CIF has ignored these injustices for too long, and we hope this investigation will finally force them to put the safety and fairness of girls over the feelings of confused boys.”

Lorey has advocated for girls affected by transgender athlete inclusion in California for three years.

Lorey intervened at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, in the fall, when a national controversy erupted over a transgender athlete who took a varsity spot from a girls’ cross-country runner.

TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND

That girl, Taylor Starling, then took matters into her own hands when she and teammate Kaitlyn Slavin made T-shirts that said “Save GIrls Sports” and started wearing them to school. They then filed a lawsuit against the school district when administrators allegedly scolded them for wearing the shirts and compared them to swastikas.

Starling’s father, Ryan Starling, expressed his gratitude to the Trump administration for taking action to investigate the state’s defiance of the recent executive order.

“Our family can’t thank President Trump enough. We are so excited to see common sense prevailing. This has been a long-fought battle for so many people on so many fronts. The battle is not over in the state of California, but each day we are moving a step closer because of so many courageous people like Taylor and Kaitlyn,” Ryan Starling told Fox News Digital.

Even school administrators who work within the jurisdiction of the CIF are celebrating the DOE’s investigation.

Transgender athlete supporter Kyle Harp, left, of Riverside, holds a pride flag as “Save Girls Sports” supporters Lori Lopez and her father, Pete Pickering, listen to debate over the rights of transgender athletes outside the Riverside Unified School District Dec. 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Chino Unified School Board President Sonja Shaw told Fox News Digital she is calling for consequences for all the institutions that have allowed transgender athletes to participate in girls sports.

“As a mother of two CIF athletes, school board president and advocate for children, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of these policies. Girls are being pushed aside, their safety is compromised and their opportunities are being stolen,” Shaw said.

“This investigation is a critical step in the right direction, but we need real, decisive action. CIF — and any entity that violates Title IX — must face consequences, including the withdrawal of funding.

“We warned you, CIF. Now, face the consequences.”

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Amber French, a women’s swimmer at California Baptist University, argued the CIF allowing transgender athletes to compete with girls will deprive biological female athletes of college opportunities and jeopardizes their safety.

“If you allow males to compete in female sports, less females will have the opportunity to go to CIF and swim in front of college coaches to get recruited,” French told Fox News Digital. “Allowing males who do not want to compete against their sex compete in female races takes away from all the hard-working female athletes. There are separate categories for a reason.

“This investigation is the first step to protect the integrity, safety and opportunities of female sports.”

The CIF told Fox News Digital it has been notified of the forthcoming investigation.

“While the CIF has been notified of the investigation, we do not comment on pending investigations,” a CIF spokesperson said.

Trump’s DOE will also be investigating Minnesota’s high school athletics association for refusing to comply with the executive order.

The DOE is also investigating San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for separate incidents involving transgender athletes competing on a women’s or girls sports team.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 13, 2025
FBI must release Mar-a-Lago probe records despite Trump’s criminal immunity: Judge

FBI records from the Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe will soon be released despite the dismissal of the case against President Donald Trump and his presidential immunity, according to a federal judge’s ruling Monday.

In a court filing first obtained by Politico, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found that the FBI must disclose more information related to the case by Feb. 20.

The decision concerned a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case brought by journalist Jason Leopold.

Leopold filed a request with the FBI in 2022 after reports that Trump during his first term “allegedly flushed some presidential records down the toilet when he was still in the White House and brought presidential records, including sensitive classified documents, to his personal residence in Florida,” according to the filing.

The FBI asked the court to authorize withholding the records under Exemption 7A, which concerns “records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that production of such law enforcement records or information…could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”

CBS STAFFERS UPSET OVER ‘60 MINUTES’ DRAMA, ADMIT KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW EDITS WERE AN ‘UNFORCED ERROR’

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In light of the SCOTUS ruling on presidential immunity as well as Trump’s election win in November, Trump is exempt from criminal proceedings, but Howell found the documents could still be released because of that fact, as there are no law enforcement proceedings against him.

“Somewhat ironically, the constitutional and procedural safeguards attached to the criminal process include significant confidentiality mechanisms…. with a parallel safeguard in Exemption 7(A) to help preserve the necessary confidentiality of ongoing criminal investigations leading to anticipated enforcement actions, but for an immune president, Exemption 7(A) may simply be unavailable, as it is here,” Howell said.

DEMOCRAT LAWMAKERS FACE BACKLASH FOR INVOKING ‘UNHINGED’ VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MUSK

Documents seized during the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 8, 2022. (Department of Justice via AP/File)

“Defendants’ motion for summary judgment seeking judgment in their favor as to the legality of relying on Exemption 7(A) to withhold entirely the FBI’s investigative files from the processing of the FOIA request at issue and to assert a Glomar response to the sixth category of requested information, must be denied, and plaintiff’s cross motion for summary judgment as to these legal issues is granted,” the decision concluded. “The parties are directed to submit jointly, by February 20, 2025, a status report proposing a schedule to govern future proceedings to conclude this case expeditiously.”

Howell also noted that though Trump is immune from prosecution, anyone who may have helped to “aid, abet and execute criminal acts,” is not.

Former President Donald Trump headlines a Republican National Committee spring donor retreat in Palm Beach, Fla., on May 4, 2024. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

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“Of course, while the Supreme Court has provided a protective and presumptive immunity cloak for a president’s conduct, that cloak is not so large to extend to those who aid, abet and execute criminal acts on behalf of a criminally immune president,” Howell wrote in a footnote. “The excuse offered after World War II by enablers of the fascist Nazi regime of ‘just following orders’ has long been rejected in this country’s jurisprudence.”

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to [email protected].

February 11, 2025
Civil rights officials probe four U.S. medical schools over antisemitism

The Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced investigations into four medical schools over alleged antisemitic incidents during their 2024 commencement ceremonies.

While HHS did not identify the schools subjected to these investigations, the Wall Street Journal reported that Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins medical schools were the targets. The investigations will come after a school year riddled with what critics have described as antisemitic incidents after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

“After October 7, we saw Jew-hatred explode not just on college campuses and city streets, but in the medical profession. This has caused a lot of concern that anti-Jewish bias in medicine endangers the lives of Jewish patients – and these concerns have not been conclusively addressed to date,” said Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at The Lawfare Project, which provides pro bono legal services to protect the civil rights of the Jewish community. “The investigations announced by HHS are a crucial first step towards addressing these concerns.”

ISRAELI HARVARD STUDENT SPEAKS OUT ON ANTISEMITISM BEHIND LATEST SETTLEMENT

Protesters demonstrate near Columbia University on Feb. 2, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Harvard’s 2024 commencement ceremony was ridiculed over the school’s decision to tap media CEO Maria Ressa as the school’s commencement speaker following a year of incidents that included an assault against an Israeli student by pro-Palestinian protesters, scores of alleged antisemitic displays and chants, including some that praised Hamas, and numerous civil rights allegations from Jewish students. In addition, Harvard was accused by its own students of turning a blind eye to antisemitism.

Ressa, not long after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, penned an op-ed comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, and during her commencement address complained that she had been attacked over her pro-Palestinain advocacy “by power and money because they want power and money,” which people construed as promoting antisemitic stereotypes. Ressa was also accused of praising pro-Hamas demonstrations happening on campus during her address.

JEWISH COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER VOWING TO DEPORT PRO-HAMAS ACTIVISTS WITH STUDENT VISAS

The commencement ceremony was allegedly so bad that a campus Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi felt compelled to confront Ressa during the event and subsequently walked offstage. According to media reports, Zarchi later described the ceremony as a “really vile program.”

Former Harvard University President Larry Summers claimed that the school has not been “swift” enough in combating the antisemitism spreading throughout campus. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor)

Harvard Medical School spokesperson Ekaterina Pesheva said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the school “condemns antisemitism and remains committed to combating all forms of discrimination and harassment.” Pesheva added that Harvard would “continue to advance our efforts to ensure that all community members feel they belong” and said the school is currently reviewing HHS’s civil rights request and will cooperate to address the agency’s questions regarding the 2024 commencement ceremony.

Columbia, Johns Hopkins and Brown similarly faced a slew of complaints over alleged antisemitism on their campuses and the universities’ failure to address them. The environment at these schools was so hostile, reportedly, that some Jewish students who were admitted to these Ivy League schools decided to go somewhere else. A rabbi at Columbia went so far as to tell Jewish students to leave campus for their safety.

President Donald Trump has moved quickly to challenge antisemitism in the U.S., with news of the investigations coming the same day the Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced the formation of a multi-agency task force to combat antisemitism. News of the probe also came after Trump signed an executive order several days after taking office seeking to combat antisemitism, particularly on college campuses.

“HHS has been so quick to implement President Trump’s Executive Order is tacit recognition of the failure on the part of these universities to address antisemitism, despite several lawsuits and congressional investigations,” Filitti said. “The Biden Administration, for all its rhetoric, failed to do nearly as much as President Trump has in only one week to address Jew-hatred, and we now have a President clearly willing to use the power of the executive branch to take concrete action to stamp out antisemitism and protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans – and all Americans.”

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Witnesses from various universities testify during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government hearing on antisemitism on college campuses at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 15, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

In addition to facing potential consequences over the school’s failure to address antisemitism on their campuses, Trump has also threatened to withhold millions of federal dollars in research grants if they do not comply with new orders quashing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“Antisemitism has no place in American society, least of all in medical schools,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the nonprofit Do No Harm, which seeks to root out identity politics in medical education. “Medical schools, especially those who push a DEI agenda have become hotbeds of antisemitism, the department of Health and Human Services is right to raise concerns about blatantly antisemitic protests.”

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On Monday, the Department of Education also launched a slew of additional civil rights investigations into Columbia, Northwestern, the University of California – Berkeley, the University of Minnesota and Portland State universities.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

February 6, 2025
Trump Education Dept to probe SJSU, UPenn for potential Title IX violations after trans athlete scandals

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EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s Department of Education (DOE) launched an investigation into potential Title IX violations that occurred at multiple educational institutions, hours after he signed an executive order to ban trans athletes from women’s sports.

The Department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will be investigating San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for separate incidents involving trans athletes competing on a women’s or girls’ sports team.

“Pursuant to President Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Executive Order yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education today announced investigations into two educational institutions and an athletic association where violations of Title IX have been reported,” read a statement from the DOE provided exclusively to Fox News Digital.

“President Trump’s Executive Order ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ is a promise to women and girls: this administration will not tolerate the mistreatment of female athletes.”

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President Donald Trump signs the No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

The incidents at San Jose State and UPenn became widely-publicized controversies that resulted in multiple lawsuits.

At UPenn, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was allowed to compete on the women’s swim team after previously competing on the school’s men’s team. Thomas went on to break multiple women’s records, winning several events at the 2022 Ivy League championships and NCAA championships.

Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan, who had to share a locker room with Thomas, provided a statement to Fox News Digital thanking the DOE for its forthcoming investigation.

“I’m deeply grateful to the Department of Education for addressing Title IX violations concerning female athletes with such seriousness. As a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who was forced to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I look forward to them holding accountable the higher education institutions that promoted this,” Scanlan said.

A lawsuit filed by three other former UPenn women’s swimmers alleges the university administrators and women’s swimming coach Mike Schnur misled the players about whether Thomas would be sharing a locker room with them. The three women also allege the school pushed pro-trans ideology onto them during the process of accepting Thomas on the team, and they were led to feel their concerns over being teammates with a biological male was rooted in a “psychological problem.”

“The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas’s participation on the UPenn Women’s team, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LBGTQ center,” the lawsuit alleges.

“The administrators also invited the women to a talk titled, ‘Trans 101.’ Thus, the women were led to understand that UPenn’s position was that if a woman on the team had any problem with a trans-identifying male being on her team that woman had a psychological problem and needed counseling.”

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Former University of Kentucky swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines has also filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for its current gender identity polices over her experience competing alongside Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships. Several other women impacted by trans inclusion have joined Gaines’ lawsuit.

Fox News Digital has reached out to UPenn for comment.

At San Jose State, transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming played three seasons on the women’s team from 2022-24, as one of the Mountain West’s top hitters, leading the team in kills. However, unlike UPenn’s handling of Thomas, SJSU administrators allegedly withheld the truth about Fleming’s birth sex from the other female players on the team, according to a lawsuit filed by 11 Mountain West volleyball players and a former SJSU assistant coach.

Former Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser leads that lawsuit and is also a plaintiff in Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA. Slusser alleges San Jose State administrators and volleyball coach Todd Kress actively prevented her from knowing Fleming’s birth sex while assigning her to share bedrooms with the trans athlete on most road trips during their first season together in 2023.

Slusser’s lawsuit against the Mountain West also alleges that Fleming conspired with an opponent on another team to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match on Oct. 3.

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The controversy involving Fleming prompted five of SJSU’s opponents in 2024 to forfeit a total of eight matches. The final forfeit was the Mountain West Tournament semifinal against Boise State, who had already forfeited twice to the Spartans in the regular season.

That forfeit sent Fleming, Slusser and SJSU to the conference final, where they lost to Colorado State. The plaintiffs in Slusser’s lawsuit filed an emergency injunction in November prior to the tournament in an attempt to have Fleming removed from competition and all losses by forfeit wiped from their opponents’ records. However, federal Judge Kato Crews, who was appointed by then-President Joe Biden in January 2024, ruled to allow Fleming to play.

Fox News Digital has reached out to San Jose State for comment.

The situation involving the MIAA occurred in February 2024, when a trans athlete for the KIPP Academy Lynn girl’s basketball team caused injuries to female players for Collegiate Charter School of Lowell. Collegiate Charter had to forfeit the game at halftime for the sake of the well-being of its players.

The MIAA’s handbook states that a “student shall not be excluded from participation on a gender-specific sports team that is consistent with the student’s bona fide gender identity.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the MIAA and Kipp Academy for comment.

Now, all three of those institutions face an investigation by Trump’s DOE.

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Education launched an investigation into potential Title IX violations that occurred at multiple educational institutions, hours after he signed an executive order to ban trans athletes from women’s sports. (Getty Images)

Additionally, the OCR will be actively reviewing athletic participation policies at a number of schools to evaluate their alignment with Title IX protections for female athletes, sources told Fox News Digital.

Last week, the DOE notified K-12 schools and higher education institutions of a return to enforcing Title IX protections on the basis of biological sex.

The NCAA has already suggested it will capitulate to Trump’s order.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement, saying it provided a “clear, national standard,” and the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.

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February 6, 2025
Trump Education Dept launches probe into ‘explosion of antisemitism’ at 5 universities

The Education Department (DoEd) is probing five institutions of higher education with large-scale reports of alleged antisemitism after the 2023 deadly terrorist attack in Israel.

The terrorist group Hamas coordinated an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, provoking an ongoing Israeli military response that in turn prompted anti-Israel protests to break out on college campuses across the U.S. Many protests were not immediately shut down, and Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony due to safety concerns.

Two weeks after assuming office, Trump’s DoEd is alleging that “the Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable,” prompting a new federal probe into five universities the administration identified as having reports of “widespread antisemitic harassment.”

The DoEd announced it will investigate five universities: Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

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President Donald Trump is shown in the Oval Office on Jan. 30, 2025. (Getty Images)

“Too many universities have tolerated widespread antisemitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year, driving Jewish life and religious expression underground. The Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the DoEd, said in a statement.

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“The Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses, nor will it stand by idly if universities fail to combat Jew hatred and the unlawful harassment and violence it animates,” Trainor wrote.

The investigation comes days after Fox News Digital reported that Trump ordered the potential removal of anti-Jewish protesters with student visas from the country.

Police make an arrest as they confront anti-Israel protesters at UCLA on May 2, 2024. (Etienne Laurent)

Northwestern University, Portland State University and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, told Fox News Digital they would comply with the department’s investigation.

“There is no place for antisemitism or any form of identity-based discrimination or hate at Northwestern University. Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others,” Jon Yates, vice president of global marketing and communications at Northwestern University, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“Portland State University is dedicated to upholding a safe, inclusive and respectful community for all community members. We take these concerns seriously,” Portland State University told Fox. “The university continues to support and engage with efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias.”

The school noted that “it is the university’s understanding” that the investigation notice “initiates a directed investigation — which means it is not based on a specific complaint from an individual, but instead is prompted by the new administration.”

Anti-Israel protesters are shown at Columbia University in New York City on April 29, 2024. (David Dee Delgado)

The University of Minnesota said in a statement that they are “confident in our approach to combating hate and bias on our campus and will fully cooperate with this investigation.”

Columbia University did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.

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The Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter, obtained by Fox, to Columbia University in September asking whether the university was “maintaining a safe environment for all members” as a recipient of funding through Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants.

Columbia University reportedly received $611,173,605 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants in fiscal 2024, according to the HHS public page on NIH funding.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025
Graham grills FBI nominee Patel over ‘disgusting’ and ‘corrupt’ Crossfire Hurricane probe

Trump FBI director nominee Kash Patel was grilled Thursday over the FBI’s investigation into alleged Trump-Russia connections in the aftermath of the 2016 election, known colloquially by its nickname “Crossfire Hurricane,” and which has emerged as something of a partisan lightning rod in the years since the investigation was closed.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, for his part, used most of his allotted time Thursday to grill Patel over his views on the investigation, which he has railed against as politically motivated and a “disgusting” use of FBI resources.

Patel was tapped in 2017 by then-House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes to join the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe— an investigation that was widely praised by Republicans as helping discredit the FBI’s inquest.

“Is it fair to say that the people in charge of investigating Crossfire Hurricane hated Trump’s guts?” Graham asked Patel Thursday during his confirmation hearing.

“Yes, sir,” Patel responded.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., waits for the arrival of President Joe Biden in the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Graham added: “Do you believe that Crossfire Hurricane was one of the most disgusting episodes in FBI history of a corrupt investigation led by corrupt people who wanted to take Donald Trump down?”

After Patel responded affirmatively, Graham continued to excoriate what he sees as the politicization of the FBI, which he claimed is “ignoring evidence, making up evidence, and lying to get Donald Trump.”

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President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel, who has been a frequent and harsh critic of the FBI, to serve as the bureau’s next director in the new administration. (Reuters)

“FBI agents were telling anybody and everybody would listen that [the investigation] is not reliable, this is not trustworthy. But they plowed on,” Graham added.

“That’s why you’re in this chair today to fix that,” said Graham. “Without Crossfire Hurricane, this guy wouldn’t be here.”

Patel is a close ally of the president-elect and served in the first Trump administration both as a deputy assistant and as the senior director for counterterrorism.

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His nomination has sparked early criticism from some Democrats ahead of his confirmation hearing, who have cited his previous vows to prosecute journalists and career officials at the Justice Department and FBI that he sees as being part of the “deep state.”

He has since attempted to clarify some of those remarks.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

January 30, 2025
Wisconsin mom urges Trump admin to launch ‘pivotal’ probe into alleged race-based discrimination against son

FIRST ON FOX: An official civil rights complaint has been filed to the Trump administration urging action in defense of a Wisconsin mother who alleges her son, who is White, was passed over being given the extra learning attention he needed due to language on the school’s website that says it prioritizes additional help for students based on race.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title VI civil rights complaint on Tuesday with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights office against the Green Bay Area Public School District after Colbey Decker alleged that a “troubling” and “unlawful” policy in the district “explicitly prioritizes reading support resources based on race, thereby violating the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“Colbey Decker, a mom from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a dyslexic son who was denied reading resources because he is white,” WILL said in a press release. “Not only does the GBAPS admit this practice through its ‘School Success Plan,’ which explicitly says it prioritizes some racial groups over others, but this message was conveyed directly to Mrs. Decker by a school principal during an in-person meeting.”

“Mrs. Decker’s complaint comes at a pivotal moment because President Trump just ordered the U.S. Department of Education to direct all ‘local educational agencies that receive federal funds’ to implement measures and practices” required to comply with the Constitution’s demand of colorblind treatment of all students. WILL has issued a report and called on the Trump Administration to investigate claims of race discrimination in K-12 schools, and we hope that this is the first case they resolve.”

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Trump’s Department of Education has been asked to investigate a discrimination claim in Wisconsin (Getty/AP)

Fox News Digital previously spoke to Decker in December about her experience with the school district.

“Any time a parent or a grandparent advocates for a child, I know that their sincere hope is that that child is just treated equally,” Decker said. “And that’s not what’s happening when someone is a priority. If someone is more of a priority than someone else’s child has to be less of a priority. And I don’t think that’s the way most of America wants to move forward with education.”

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The US Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Tierney L. Cross)

“I think everybody wants us to just be completely color-blind and look at children as simply being children. My son is in the 17th percentile in the state for reading, and there are children who are performing at a higher level than him that are more of a priority only because of their skin color. And I don’t think most parents want anything like that to ever happen in any educational setting ever.”

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital it “does not confirm complaints.”

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“Our client’s son continues to lose valuable time in his educational development. It’s time for the GBAPS to adopt a color-blind policy for giving all kids access to important resources,” WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Gruel said in a press release. “We hope our appeal to the federal government will provide the catalyst needed to address this injustice.”

The district told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that “we do not feel we are able to comment until we have had sufficient time to review.”

The district previously told Fox News Digital that “all District policies must be approved by the Board of Education and no such policy language exists.”

The complaint states that the district has “refused to take any action to end its discrimination.”

“WILL asks that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the complaint states. “Thank you for your prompt attention to this request for investigation and resolution.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Title IX probe into Florida’s Todd Golden dismissed, lawyer says

A Title IX investigation into Florida Gators men’s basketball coach Todd Golden was dismissed, his lawyer said in a statement on Monday.

Attorney William Shepherd issued a statement to CBS Sports regarding the investigation into claims made about Golden.

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Florida head coach Todd Golden watches play against South Florida, Nov. 4, 2024, in Jacksonville. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

“The investigation has found no evidence to support the allegations against Coach Golden,” the statement read. “The University’s conclusion proves that the complaint was meritless.”

Golden was accused of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking multiple women, including students, in November. A report in the school’s student newspaper claimed that Golden made unwanted advances on Instagram, requested sexual favors, and sent photos and videos of his genitalia.

The Title IX complaint was reportedly made on Sept. 29.

Shepherd ripped those who tried to generate a “false narrative” around the Gators head coach.

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Florida head coach Todd Golden gestures during the Jacksonville game, Nov. 7, 2024, in Gainesville. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

“Coach Golden and I have respected the process throughout while actively engaging with the University. However, there were many who did not respect the investigative process. Instead, they sought to target Coach Golden and drive their agenda and this investigation for their own self-interest. Some leaked confidential material to the media; falsely posed as a UF lawyer in an effort to intimidate; harassed UF students and parents to try to generate a false narrative; and harassed my client, his family, and his friends.

“Coach Golden appreciates the support he and his program have received from so many at the University and from around the country. Now that this is concluded, Coach can continue to focus on the basketball season and consider his legal options in the off season – but now it’s time to move forward.”

Golden denied the allegations in a statement in November and said he would weigh a defamation lawsuit.

“For the last month, I have actively participated in and respected the confidentiality of an ongoing school inquiry,” the statement read. “I have recently engaged Ken Turkel to advise me on my ability to bring defamation claims while this confidential investigation is ongoing.

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden denied the allegations in a statement in November and said he would weigh a defamation lawsuit. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

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“My family and I appreciate the support we have received and remain confident the university will continue its efforts to finish its review properly.”

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 27, 2025