EdNews Virginia | September 28, 2026
The U.S. Department of Education officially rescinded the Biden administration’s Title IX regulations today, formally reinstating the 2020 Title IX rules from the first Trump administration.
Affirming ‘Biological Reality’
Today’s move codifies the current administration’s ongoing efforts to affirm what federal officials call “biological reality.” Under the restored rules, schools receiving federal aid may not allow males to compete in female sports. Similarly, those schools may not allow males to use female-only facilities.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the administration was already enforcing the 2020 rules, and today’s formal regulatory news should eliminate any lingering confusion for school administrators.
Federal authorities will continue to “hold accountable any school or college that violates the rights, privacy, or athletic opportunities of our women and girls,” McMahon added.
Northern Virginia Showdown
The official rule change comes as five Northern Virginia school divisions have been navigating severe financial limitations associated with federal Title IX standards. In August of last year, the Education Department designated the Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William school divisions as “high-risk.”
Those designations followed the government’s conclusion that gender identity rules in the Northern Virginia divisions violated Title IX. All five divisions refused to sign a resolution agreement with the federal government. As a result, the divisions are now on a “reimbursement only” basis for millions of dollars in federal aid.
“States and school districts cannot openly violate federal law while simultaneously receiving federal funding with no additional scrutiny,” McMahon said when announcing the designations last year.
Arlington Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools filed lawsuits challenging the federal government’s designations. More than a year later, that litigation remains ongoing. With the 2020 regulations now formally codified, it remains to be seen whether Northern Virginia school boards will adjust their rules or continue their legal battles.