Northern Virginia Schools Hit With ‘High-Risk’ Label In $50M Title IX Funding Fight: Feds

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Five of the largest school districts in Northern Virginia have been hit with a major federal penalty after refusing to comply with Title IX, the US Department of Education announced.

Alexandria City, Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County Public Schools have all been placed on “high-risk” and “reimbursement-only” status, meaning more than $50 million in federal funds can no longer flow directly to the districts. 

Instead, the schools must now pay expenses upfront and apply for reimbursement, federal officials said this week.

The Department of Education said it took the action after investigators found the five divisions in violation of Title IX last month for "policies allowing students to use intimate facilities based on gender identity, not biological sex." 

The districts were given until Friday, Aug. 15, to sign a Resolution Agreement but refused, officials said.

“States and school districts cannot openly violate federal law while simultaneously receiving federal funding with no additional scrutiny,” US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. 

“The Northern Virginia school divisions that are choosing to abide by woke gender ideology in place of federal law must now prove they are using every single federal dollar for a legal purpose.”

Elected officials in Virginia spoke out against the proposal in a joint statement.

"The Trump Administration destroyed the federal Department of Education and forced out an exceptional president at the University of Virginia," Sen. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine stated. "Now it wants to punish high-performing, award-winning school districts in Northern Virginia."

"You can't have a strong economy without strong schools, so add this to the list of President Trump's disastrous economic policies, alongside his sweeping tariffs and rolling back of investment incentives that were creating tens of thousands of jobs in Virginia." 

The Department said it will now begin administrative proceedings seeking suspension or termination of federal financial assistance to the divisions.

The “high-risk” label alerts all federal agencies of the districts’ failure to comply with grant conditions and federal law, the Department said.

Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.