Complaint Filed Over Alleged Title IX Violations in Rhode Island

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Providence, R.I. — The Law Centre at the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), alleging that multiple state entities are violating Title IX regulations.

The complaint, submitted Wednesday evening, cites nine named entities, including Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angelica Infante-Green, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, Attorney General Peter Neronha, and six school districts—Barrington, Chariho, Cumberland, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, and Providence.

“It is alarming that State officials have put every school district in our state at risk of loss of federal funding, discrimination lawsuits, and civil rights investigations,” commented Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity. “As pre-warned, our law centre has now filed an official complaint with the Office of Civil Rights at the federal Department of Education. State officials are playing with fire and are demonstrating egregious disdain for the people they represent … all to support radically woke policies that the vast majority of Americans disagree with. “

The filing references President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, and a related guidance letter from the Department of Education reaffirming enforcement of the 2020 Title IX rule.

Attorney Gregory Piccirilli, advisor to the Law Centre, authored the complaint, which includes a 16-page letter and 14 supporting exhibits detailing prior communications, regulations, and transgender policies at the state and district levels.

The complaint specifically highlights a February 28 letter from Neronha to Rhode Island school districts, which questioned the legality and enforceability of the federal policy change and advised schools to maintain existing transgender policies. The Law Centre contends that this stance could put districts at risk of losing federal funding, facing discrimination lawsuits, or triggering further federal investigations.

To avoid potential legal and financial consequences, the Law Centre is urging Rhode Island’s education authorities, including the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL), to rescind existing transgender policies that may conflict with the new federal directives and craft policies that align with both state and federal law.

Piccirilli, along with subcommittee chair Giovanni D. Cicione and attorney Suzanne McGee Cienki, serve on the Law Centre’s subcommittee of the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in The Ocean State Current, including text, graphics, images, and information are solely those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the views and opinions of The Current, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, or its members or staff. The Current cannot be held responsible for information posted or provided by third-party sources. Readers are encouraged to fact check any information on this web site with other sources.

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